The winners of the 2014 International Latino Book Awards (ILBA) were unveiled June 28 in Las Vegas as part of American Library Association’s Annual Meeting at the Clark County-Las Vegas Library Theater. In its 16th year and presented by Latino Literacy Now, ILBA is the largest Latino literary and cultural awards in the United States. Among this year's 231 honorees were well known children’s and young adult authors and illustrators, such as Alma Flor Ada, Isabel Allende, Meg Medina, and John Parra. Held in conjunction with BookExpo America for the past 15 years, this event marked the first time the honorees were announced during ALA’s Annual Conference. Explaining the reason for the change in venue and date, cofounder Kirk Whisler said in a press release: “Because librarians realize that books for and about Latinos are what their readers are looking for. Latinos nationwide are twice as likely to use libraries as non-Latinos.” Medina, who earlier this year won the Pura Belpré Author Medal, shared with School Library Journal about her two winning books on this list:

It was an honor to receive both the Pura Belpré award and the International Latino book Award for Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass. To have my name read alongside some of my writing heroes as well as new, exciting voices was such a personal honor. It was a family gathering, really, of those of us who are trying to tell the Latino American story as part of the larger American story.

Parra, the illustrator of Green Is a Chile Pepper and Round Is a Tortilla, both of which placed in the Children's Picture Book category, fondly remembers being honored by ILBA almost 10 years ago.

“To have the support and recognition from this award has meant so much, not just in this year, but over the course of my career as a children’s book illustrator. With this honor there is a feeling of coming full circle for it was through this initial support that opened opportunity and helped establish my future book endeavors to grow.”

Below are the winners of the ILBA in the Children, Youth, and Young Adult categories. For a complete listing, visit the Latino Literacy Now website. Best Latino Focused Children’s Picture Book – English FIRST PLACE Green Is a Chile Pepper by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrations by John Parra; Chronicle. SECOND PLACE Round Is a Tortilla by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrations by John Parra; Chronicle. Best Latino Focused Children’s Picture Book – Spanish or Bilingual FIRST PLACE Los Mariachis by Rita Rosa Ruesga; Illustrator: Euliser Polanco; Scholastic. FIRST PLACE Olinguito Speaks Up by Cecilia Velástegui, M.S.Ed.; Libros Publishing. Best Children’s Fiction Picture Book – English FIRST PLACE The Audacious Little Princesses by Janet Breceda Wright, A. E. Wright, & Nataly Wright; Angeleno Avenue Publishing. Best Children’s Fiction Picture Book – Bilingual FIRST PLACE Marisol McDonald and the Clash Bash by Monica Brown; Children’s Book Pr. Best Children’s Fiction Picture Book – Spanish FIRST PLACE El Silbido de Juan by Lili Ferreirós; Cuento de Luz. Best Children’s Nonfiction Picture Book FIRST PLACE It’s Our Garden: From Seeds to Harvest in a School Garden by George Ancona; Candlewick. Best Educational Children’s Picture Book – English FIRST PLACE Round Is a Tortilla by Roseanne Greenfield Thong, illustrations by John Parra; Chronicle. Best Educational Children’s Picture Book – Spanish or Bilingual FIRST PLACE ¡Hola! ¡Gracias! ¡Adiós! by Elisenda Roca; Editorial Bambu. Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book – English FIRST PLACE Walking Eagle: The Little Comanche Boy by Ana Eulate; Illustrator: Nivola Uya; Cuento de Luz. Most Inspirational Children’s Picture Book – Spanish or Bilingual FIRST PLACE Pink Fire Trucks by Gladys Elizabeth Barbieri; Big Tent Bks. Best Youth Latino Focused Chapter Book FIRST PLACE The Little King: An Aztec Tale, Victoria López; Victoria López. FIRST PLACE Yes! We Are Latinos by Alma Flor Ada & F. Isabel Campoy; Charlesbridge. Best Youth Chapter Fiction Book – English FIRST PLACE by Angela Cervantes; Scholastic. Best Young Adult Fiction Book – English FIRST PLACE Yaqui Delgado Wants to Kick Your Ass by Meg Medina; Candlewick. SECOND PLACE The Girl Who Could Silence the Wind by Meg Medina; Candlewick. Best Young Adult Fiction Book – Spanish or Bilingual FIRST PLACE La Guarida de las Lechuzas by Antonio Ramos Revillas; Ediciones El Naranjo. Best Young Adult Nonfiction Book FIRST PLACE También Fueron Jóvenes by Jordi Sierra i Fabra; Editorial Bambu. Best Educational Young Adult Book FIRST PLACE The Lady of the Turquoise Pendant by Lilibeth Andre; Lilibeth Andre Art & Design. Most Inspirational Young Adult Book FIRST PLACE Salvation by Anne Osterlund; Penguin. Best Book Written by a Youth FIRST PLACE Bully in the Mirror by Shanaya Fastje; Changing Lives Pr. Best Book Written by a Youth FIRST PLACE Serendipity: Poems About Love in High School by Alina Gonzalez; WPR Bks.   See also Int’l Latino Book Awards Recognize Top Children’s Titles for last year's winners.