History and Identity

This chapter charts the field’s genealogy and historical trajectory, noting key texts and figures like José Martí’s La edad de oro (1889) and Pura Belpré (1899–1982). This chapter also examines how socio-and-geopolitical events in the twentieth century (such as the Chicano Movement, the Young Lords Party, and the changing Cuban diaspora) impacted the development of Latinx literature for young readers. Because of the longstanding omission of diverse stories from children’s literature, this chapter serves a recuperative function to illuminate important histories and texts that otherwise have received little critical attention.