Download a pdf of the Día FAQ.
Día means "day" in Spanish.
El día de los niños/El día de los libros,
Children's Day/Book Day is a community-based, family
literacy initiative celebrated across the country.
Its goal is to link all children to books, languages
and cultures day by day, día por día.
Culminating celebrations are held in April usually on or about April 30th.
Many Día celebrations are held at public and school libraries. Día can be celebrated at home with book parties for family and friends - books as favors and literacy games and crafts. It can also be celebrated at childcare and community centers, bookstores, and museums.
Pat Mora, poet and author of books for children, teens and adults, founded Día in 1996. REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking, became her enthusiastic partner. Día is now housed at the Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA).
No, planners of Día events translate the words "Children's Day/Book Day" into the home languages in their community. As the librarians at the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library say, "DÍA = Diversity in Action."
Information about Día's history, as well as celebration and programming ideas, can be found on this website; on the ALSC's Día website; the Texas Library Association's Día Toolkit; and on the California State Library's Día website.
The Estela and Raúl Mora Award was established in 2000 by author Pat Mora and her family to honor their parents and to motivate libraries to celebrate Día. Information about the award, a list of previous winners, and award guidelines are available on this site's Mora Award page.
Join us! Volunteer to foster Día in your community. Spread the Día word: share this message about Día with your local libraries and schools, donate books, offer financial support, volunteer.
