What is brave books?
Brave Books is the Poetry Center's celebration of independent bookstores and libraries from around the world, which features lost, living, and otherwise dramatic and brave oases people have built to protect, house, share, and enjoy books. In years past, we've featured Shakespeare & Company in Paris, the African National Memorial Bookstore in Harlem, the Library of Alexandria and Basra Central Library in Egypt and Iraq, Casa Camino Real in New Mexico, and Zines and Zine Libraries.
Brave Books includes an interactive play space and themed reading shelf in our children's area. We spotlight Brave Books through activities at our seasonal Kids Create events; on our field trips; and during middle and high school matinees featuring a writer whose work relates to that theme (past visitors have included Vaunda Micheaux Nelson, Naomi Shihab Nye, and Denise Chávez!).
Brave books: ¡Cuentos del Mundo!
Our new exhibition is Brave Books: ¡Cuentos del Mundo!, featuring Bilblioteca de México in Mexico City. This iteration of Brave Books explores classic and modern literature that overlaps and intersects with what our neighbors in Mexico are reading. Offerings and curriculum center Mexican literature as well as classic stories loved all over the world like fables, fairy tales, folktales and legends. The Brave Books area features a mural by Adelynn Olea, of Alleycat Murals.
Visit the Brave Books area! The Poetry Center is free and open to the public, and families are encouraged to come. Visit here to view our current hours. As a reminder, parking is free on campus surface lots on Saturdays!
Recommended Reading for ¡Cuentos del Mundo!
The books in this list are available to read in the Poetry Center’s children’s area, thanks to support from University of Arizona HSI Initiative.
Recommended Reading List (English)
Lectura Recomendada (Español)
Bilingual Storytime / Hora de cuentos bilingüe
Join us for Bilingual Storytime at the Poetry Center! To celebrate the new theme for our Brave Books program, ¡Cuentos del Mundo!, we will gather every second Saturday from September through December to read stories in English and Spanish from 10:00 to 11:00 AM in the children’s area. We invite children from infancy through third grade and their families to attend. This event is free and no registration is required.
¡Acompáñanos a la hora de cuentos bilingüe en el Centro de Poesía! Para celebrar el nuevo tema de nuestro programa Brave Books, ¡Cuentos del Mundo!, nos reuniremos cada segundo sábado de septiembre a diciembre para leer cuentos en inglés y español de 10:00 a 11:00a.m. en el área infantil. Invitamos a niños desde bebés hasta tercer grado y a sus familias. Este evento es gratuito y no se requiere inscripción.
Dates for Fall 2026 / Fechas para otoño de 2026:
September 12 / 12 de septiembre
October 10 / 10 de octubre
November 14 / 14 de noviembre
December 12 / 12 de diciembre
brave books over the years
zines and zine libraries (2021-2026)
Blog Posts (Classroom Resources)
casa camino real (2019-2021)
library of Alexandria & basra central library (2018-2019)
African national memorial bookstore (2017-2018)
Shakespeare & Co. (2016-2017)
