About the Book
"Hooray! Today is our day, ¡El día de los niños!"
"¡Viva! Hoy es nuestro día. El día de los niños!"
So begins this bilingual celebration to read and share throughout the year and certainly on or near April 30th. I'm thrilled to have a second book illustrated by the talented Rafael López. Such an inventive imagination.  See children and families from varied languages and cultures enjoy reading--even in a hot air balloon. The words can be sung or used for choral reading. The book includes an author note about Día and suggested activities for celebrating Día at home, school, libraries, etc.
A Junior Library Guild Selection.
Click here to see what fun Publishers Weekly blogger/bookseller Alison Morris had with her F&G of Book Fiesta, and what nice things she has to say about the book!
NPR'S "Latino USA" has included Book Fiesta in a web feature on El día de los niños/ El día de los libros; Children's Day/ Book Day! Read it here.
Highlighted Reviews
"How very appropriate that the first trade book about Children's Day/Book Day should be enthusiastically penned by the founder of this holiday, celebrated annually since 1996 on April 30, the same date as Mexico's Day of the Child. This call to arms for connecting kids and books exhorts everyone to read and have fun in whatever language and locale they choose: "Hooray! Today is our day. ¡El día de los niños! Let's have fun today reading our favorite books. Toon! Toon!" The straightforward, bilingual text in Spanish and English is beautifully illustrated in bright, bold, acrylic paintings that integrate books and letters into timeless scenes of multicultural children cavorting, exploring, and, of course, reading. Turn to the back of the book for more on Mora's inspirations and suggestions for celebrating children's literacy in your own community, and include this book in displays and read-alouds along with Judy Sierra and Marc Brown's Wild about Books (2004) and Born to Read (2008) to make every day un día de los libros."—Booklist
"Award-winning writer and literacy advocate Pat Mora, founder of El día de los niños/El día de los libros/Children's Day/Book Day, has infused her latest offering with enough bookjoy to go around the globe!...Rafael López's unforgettable illustrations are a fiesta rich in colors and pizzaz. They show children, adults and even animals reading everywhere -up in a hot air balloon, inside a whale's mouth, in a submarine, on top of an elephant; and perfectly bring to life the book's core message of 'books anywhere, anytime.' … Budding book lovers will delight in this upbeat and celebratory offering!"—Paper Tigers
"Mora encourages teachers, parents, and librarians to celebrate Children's Day/Book Day and includes ideas for observing the festivities. Written in English and Spanish, the text shows children reading in a variety of places, going to the library, listening to stories, and enjoying books. López's acrylic illustrations fill the pages with color. His upbeat iconic style shows how much fun this celebration can be and portrays round-faced kids reading to a variety of pets and riding an elephant or sailing with a whale. Students will be encouraged to join in the book-based activities. This lively selection will motivate and excite children about the adventures they can go on through reading."— Sandra Welzenbach, Villarreal Elementary School, San Antonio, TX, School Library Journal
"A happy assortment of multicultural children, adults and friendly critters celebrate books and reading in recognition of El d'a de los ni-os/El d'a de los libros. Joyful and vibrant scenes convey the theme of the universal pleasures of reading every day and everywhere-under trees and in boats, on trains and planes, in the car and at the library. Imaginative tours take readers on undersea submarine adventures, floating hot-air balloon voyages and travels through space. The fun continues through the night: "Then, snug in our beds, / we read to the moon / and fly away in our books." The cheery and effortless dual English/Spanish text instills a festival atmosphere brilliantly expressed in Lopez's luminous full-page montages of a world of reading opportunities. Mora's suggestions for celebrations across libraries, schools, bookstores, museums and community close out this gala and inspirational affirmation of "a growing nation of readers." A great choice for family readings at primary and nursery programs all year long. (Picture book. 3-7)"—Kirkus Reviews
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