Georgina Lázaro-Leon is a Puerto Rican poet who writes children's books. Her poems have been recorded by many artists, among them

Tony Croatto Tony may refer to: People and fictional characters * Tony (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters * Gregory Tony (born 1978), American law enforcement officer * Motu Tony (born 1981), New Zealand international rugby leagu ...

Early years

Lázaro was one of eight siblings born in

San Juan, Puerto Rico San Juan (, , ; Spanish for "Saint John") is the capital city and most populous municipality in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, an unincorporated territory of the United States. As of the 2020 census, it is the 57th-largest city under the juri ...

and raised in the Miramar neighborhood of the city. She was enrolled at the age of three in the "Colegio de la Inmaculada" school, the school in which she received both her primary and secondary education. After high school, she was accepted to the

University of Puerto Rico The University of Puerto Rico ( es, Universidad de Puerto Rico, UPR) is the main public university system in the U.S. Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. It is a government-owned corporation with 11 campuses and approximately 58,000 students and 5,3 ...

where she earned her Bachelor of Science degree with a concentration in education.Georgina Lázaro-Leon
, Retrieved November 7, 2007 Lázaro worked as a school teacher for various years and retired after she was married to take care of her children and her household. That is when she started to write stories and poems for and about her children.

First works

In 1987,

, a popular Puerto Rican folksinger, discovered one of her children poems and converted it into a musical hit. In 1995, one of her poems was recorded and presented in Puerto Rico's "Centro de Bellas Artes", by Puerto Rican musician and singer Roy Brown. Her poem "Mi Flamboyan amarillo", or "My Yellow Royal Poinciana", originally published in 1996 by Ediciones Huracan, which issued two more editions by 2001, was reissued in 2005 by Lectorum Publications, a subsidiary of Scholastic, Inc. She has also written poems that introduce children to

Federico García Lorca Federico del Sagrado Corazón de Jesús García Lorca (5 June 1898 – 19 August 1936), known as Federico García Lorca ( ), was a Spanish poet, playwright, and theatre director. García Lorca achieved international recognition as an emblemat ...

, Pablo Neruda,

Miguel de Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-eminent novelists. He is best kno ...

' ''

Don Quixote is a Spanish epic novel by Miguel de Cervantes. Originally published in two parts, in 1605 and 1615, its full title is ''The Ingenious Gentleman Don Quixote of La Mancha'' or, in Spanish, (changing in Part 2 to ). A founding work of West ...

'' and other mainstays of Hispanic culture, as well as "Ya llegan los Reyes Magos!", published by Lectorum in 2001, geared to promote Puerto Rico's tradition and culture. That same year Tony Croatto included nine of her poems which he recorded in his CD (compact disc). Her poem "Nuestro Capitolio", about Puerto Rico's Capitol building, was published in 2006 by the Legislative Assembly and, with over 45,000 copies in print for free distribution, is probably her most-printed poem.

Recognitions

In 1997 and 1998, she was awarded a "Best Idea of Year" award by the

Museo de Arte de Ponce Museo de Arte de Ponce (MAP) is an art museum located on Avenida Las Américas in Ponce, Puerto Rico.Commonwealth of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico Tourism Company. Ven al Sur, page 20. San Juan, Puerto Rico, 2003. It houses a collection of European ...

. She was the recipient of a special tribute on behalf of the

Ateneo de Ponce The Ateneo de Ponce (English: Ponce Atheneum) is a nonprofit, civic, non governmental organization located in Ponce, Puerto Rico, that seeks to preserve and promote Ponce's cultural traditions. The institution, founded on 15 September 1956, by ...

during their third poetry contest held in 2000. Her poem "Ya Llegaron los Reyes Magos" received a recognition from the Pen Club of Puerto Rico and in 2002, the Ponce Chamber of Commerce honored her with an "Educator of the Year" award. In January 2007, she was the recipient of a $5,000 award in recognition of her written work by the Institute of Puerto Rico.

Present

Lázaro works as a volunteer in a program called "Cuéntame un Cuento" (Tell me a story) at the Museo de Arte de Ponce in

Ponce, Puerto Rico Ponce (, , , ) is both a city and a municipality on the southern coast of Puerto Rico. The city is the seat of the municipal government. Ponce, Puerto Rico's most populated city outside the San Juan metropolitan area, was founded on 12 August 1 ...

. Lázaro lives in Ponce with her husband, attorney Cesar Hernandez Colon, and her son Jose Alberto.

Books by Lázaro

* Pablo - Serie de Lectorum, Cuando los grandes eran pequeños, ilustrado por Marcela Donoso * Brilla, Brilla, Linda Estrella (Shine, shine, pretty star) * Mi Flamboyán Amarillo (My Yellow Poinciana Tree), illustrated by Lulu Delacre * El Mejor Es Mi Papa (My Father is the Best) * ¡Viva la tortuga! (Long live the turtle!) * La Niña y La Estrella (The Girl and the Star) * Ya Llegan los Reyes Magos! (The Three Kings Are Here!) * Nuestro Capitolio (Our Capitol) * Federico García Lorca

Notes

References

Main sources: Bio appearing in "Ya llegan los Reyes Magos!", Lectorum Publications, 2001, remarks by the President of the Senate in 2005 to Capitol tour guides about the commissioning of a poem about the Capitol for visiting children. {{DEFAULTSORT:Lazaro, Georgina Puerto Rican writers Writers from San Juan, Puerto Rico Living people 1965 births Puerto Rican women writers