Hispanic Heritage Month began on September 15 and we are celebrating this week with a very special Phone-a-Story featuring one of this year’s Latino Community Service Award recipients, Lori Marie Huertas!
Every year during Hispanic Heritage Month, the Denver Public Library celebrates the Latino community by honoring the remarkable work of Latino leaders with the annual Latino Community Service Awards. This year we recognize the accomplishments of five leaders, including Lori Marie Huertas who will be awarded the Lena Archuleta Community Service Award for her outstanding contributions to education and early literacy.
Listen to Lori read in Be Bold, Be Brave by Naibe Reynoso by dialing (720) 865-8500 and pressing 3, or listen to her read in Spanish where she reads Una Historia Para Valientes de Daniela Vega by dialing (720) 865-8500 and pressing 1. Both Phone-a-Story recordings will be available through Monday, September 23.
Dial in every Tuesday for a new story, rhyme, or song to listen to! Access Phone-a-Story 24/7 and hear English, Spanish, Amharic, and Vietnamese recordings for different age groups!
Don’t forget to celebrate the Latino Community Service Awards on Saturday, September 28 at 10:00 a.m. at the Westwood Community Center (1000 S. Lowell Blvd. Denver, CO. 80219). The celebration is free and open to the public. There will be refreshments and entertainment!
Phone-A-Story Guest Star Profile
As a children's book author, a storytime reader for classrooms, and a Read Aloud volunteer, Lori cherishes the magic of libraries. She says, “They are not just places of books, but sanctuaries of imagination and learning where stories come to life. As an abuela to grandchildren from my military son, I find immense joy in passing down the love of reading, a tradition deeply rooted in my Puerto Rican heritage.”
Hispanic Heritage Month holds special significance for Lori. She honors her family and their legacy during this time. “They instilled in me values of kindness, joy, rich food, hard work, family reading, and laughter—values I strive to share with others,” explains Lori.
This year, the Denver Public Library will honor her with the Lena L. Archuleta Community Service Award for her accomplishments in education. She’s a professor at the Metropolitan State University of Denver and values sharing her expertise in psychology and education with the next generation. “As Lena Archuleta once said, ‘Education is the key to freedom, and libraries open the doors to that freedom.’ Through storytelling, I hope to open those doors for others, celebrating the richness of our culture and the enduring legacy of family,” says Lori.
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Are you looking for more children's books like the one Lori read? Take a look at this list of similar titles below::
Dreamers by Yuyi Morales.
An illustrated picture book autobiography in which award-winning author Yuyi Morales tells her own immigration story.
How Tía Lola came to visit stay by Julia Alvarez.
Although ten-year-old Miguel is at first embarrassed by his colorful aunt, Tia Lola, when she comes to Vermont from the Dominican Republic to stay with his mother, his sister, and him after his parents' divorce, he learns to love her.
If Dominican were a color by Sili Recio
This story celebrates the vibrant colors of the Dominican Republic. A rhyming story that reminds readers of the beauty in people and nature.
Paletero man! = ¡Qué paletero tan cool! by Lucky Diaz
Follow along with our narrator as he passes through his busy neighborhood in search of the Paletero Man. But when he finally catches up with him, our narrator's pockets are empty. Oh no! What happened to his dinero? It will take the help of the community to get the tasty treat now.