The Association of Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA) provides many Children’s Day, Book Day (Día) resources on their website, including their National Día; Program Registry, free program downloads like the one below and new merchandise: t-shirts, bags and baby bodysuits.
Twenty-five years ago, when I was having a radio interview at the University of Arizona in Tucson, I learned that Mexico celebrates a Day of the Child. I walked out into the sunlight, and I’ve joked that I was ZAPPED by the idea of initiating what became Children’s Day, Book Day. CDBD is a daily celebration of Children & Books with culminating celebrations held across the country on April 30th at libraries, schools, literacy organizations AND homes. We want and need all our children to be readers.
Join us in promoting this daily initiative that celebrates our children and reading in your family, city, state, and national organizations. Thanks to REFORMA and ALSC, my early partners.
Pat
Children’s Day, Book Day Resources to Share
25th Anniversary Q & A
Show your support on social media with the graphic below. Use #ChildrensDayBookDay to connect.
A Library for Juana: The World of Sor Juana Inés
Though she died in 1695, Sor Juana Inés is still considered one of the most brilliant writers in Mexico’s history: her poetry is recited by schoolchildren throughout Mexico and is studied at schools and universities around the world. Here is the story of her life, an incredible one full of knowledge, achievement, and inspiration, lovingly told by Pat Mora and beautifully illustrated by Beatriz Vidal. Read more.
Agua Santa: Holy Water
Drawing on oral and lyrical traditions, this book honors the grace and spirit of mothers, daughters, lovers, and goddesses. From a tribute to Frida Kahlo to advice from an Aztec goddess, the poems explore the intimate and sacred spaces of borderlands through many voices: a revolutionary, a domestic worker, a widow. Read more.
I Pledge Allegiance
Yo prometo lealtad
Libby’s great aunt, Lobo, is from Mexico, but the United States has been her home for many years, and she wants to become a U.S. citizen. At the end of the week, Lobo will say the Pledge of Allegiance at a special ceremony. Libby is also learning the Pledge this week, at school—at the end of the week, she will stand up in front of everyone and lead the class in the Pledge. Libby and Lobo practice together—asking questions and sharing stories and memories—until they both stand tall and proud, with their hands over their hearts. Read more.
My Singing Nana
Billy is close with his Nana. But Nana is starting to forget things and Billy is worried. When Billy’s sister is too sick to sing in their family summer show, Billy and Nana work together to come up with an act that saves the performance! Billy learns that no matter what happens, he and Nana are “always amigos!” This story celebrates the ideals of family, heritage, and happy memories, showing kids that no matter how their loved one might change they always have ways to maintain their special connection. Read more.
Doña Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart
Doña Flor is a giant lady who lives in a tiny village in the American Southwest. Popular with her neighbors, she lets the children use her flowers as trumpets and her leftover tortillas as rafts. Flor loves to read, too, and she can often be found reading aloud to the children. One day, all the villagers hear a terrifying noise: it sounds like a huge animal bellowing just outside their village. Everyone is afraid, but not Flor. She wants to protect her beloved neighbors, so with the help of her animal friends, she sets off for the highest mesa to find the creature. Soon enough, though, the joke is on Flor and her friends, who come to rescue her, as she discovers the small secret behind that great big noise. Read more.
