Puerto Rico has spaces where children can read and enjoy books that feed their imagination. Below is a list of several of these places, all well suited for an outing with kids.
Leo Leo is a bookstore specializing in children's literature that also aims to support reading development in children. It has a showroom with a welcoming atmosphere designed to spark curiosity about reading, and a website where you can filter books by age, such as 0 to 5 years and 6 to 10 years.
The store has been in business for 15 years and grew out of concern over the reading skills of Puerto Rican children in schools. "We have a curated selection. Every book here is intentional. I have worked with it with my students, and the intention is to build readers, so we want them to be able to connect with reading," said Mel Solórzano, owner of Leo Leo, to Platea PR.
The store also offers personalized consultations for teachers, homeschoolers, tutors, therapists and librarians who want to work on their students' reading skills.
These are the three books Leo Leo says should not be missing from your little ones' shelves:
Chigüiro, available in paperback for the youngest readers and in hardcover for children who want to keep reading
Tan Tan, a sound alphabet and the best seller at Leo Leo
Un coquí de Boriquén canta aquí y allá también, about a curious coquí that explores Puerto Rican values and culture.
Aparicio Distributors has served as a bookstore specializing in children's literature since 1998. This family business also wants to bring children closer to reading. Browse books by suggested age, order them online and pick them up at the physical store in Bayamón.
MS Books distributes academic and commercial books, including classic and contemporary literature, and carries a children's book section, all with an eye toward contributing to Puerto Rico's cultural growth.
Maritza Santos, founder of MS Books, has led this project since 2007, focusing on "interactive books, books about values, books about overcoming challenges for children, self-esteem, because we focus a lot on helping [children] at the same time," Santos told Platea PR.
Among the activities they offer to readers on the second Saturday of each month are Story Hour, opportunities to color, exercise, do crafts and take part in various activities with children.
Some books MS Books recommends:
Haciendo olas, which addresses the theme of setting goals regardless of obstacles
Emociones a todo color, about a chameleon and how it changes color according to its emotions
Aurora y Roberto, which seeks to overcome negativity through love
Librería Educativa, established in 1991, carries textbooks from preschool through 12th grade. It also has a section of children's, young adult and general-interest literature for all ages. The store has eight locations around the island, including San Juan, Ponce, Mayagüez and Arecibo.
Inside San Patricio Plaza you'll find Lee Conmigo, a space that, while not a bookstore, functions as a library, with read-aloud activities, birthday celebrations and workshops. It offers memberships that allow children to borrow books and take them home for 14 days.
The initiative was started by Gianlee Márquez Hernández and Juan Carlos Acevedo Gándar, a couple who in 2018 offered free reading activities in various parks and public spaces. In 2022, as Márquez told Platea PR, they opened the space they currently occupy, where they offer activities that bring together music, art, dance and read-alouds.
"The intention is for families to come and use the space, books, materials and resources completely free of charge. We have a collection of books primarily in Spanish, but we also have books in English and other international languages for children from infants up to age 12," Márquez explained.
Some books Márquez recommends:
¿Dónde está bebé?, which Márquez wrote and her husband illustrated, and which invites children to learn about body parts and developmental stages
Colección Elefante y Cerdita, one of the most well-known collections and a good fit for early readers and parents looking to get their children interested in books
El flamboyán amarillo, a classic of Puerto Rican children's literature that uses rhyme for family enjoyment.
This content was translated with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI).
