Want to Start a Día Family Book Club?

Pat Mora

The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) is now accepting applications for mini-grants intended to prepare libraries to incorporate Día into their existing programs throughout the entire year.  Mini-grants will be used to initiate a Día Family Book Club Program in libraries.  Up to 12 mini-grants will be awarded at $5,000 each.

Intended as an expansion of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día), the mini-grants will be awarded to libraries that demonstrate a need to better address the diverse backgrounds within their communities.

The mini-grants are part of the Everyone Reads @ your library grant awarded to ALSC from the Dollar General Literacy Foundation.  In addition to these mini-grants, funding from this grant will also allow ALSC to create a Día Family Book Club Toolkit that will be accessible to all.

The deadline for receipt of applications is February 1st, 2013.

See Pat’s website for more information about Día.

Go on Record: Día Program Registration

Pat Mora

Día, El día de los niños,El día de los libros/Children’s Day,Book Day, is a daily commitment: day by day, día por día. Hundreds of annual Día events occur across the country in April. In the spirit of Día, these book fiestas are literacy celebrations that unite communities. Often reading advocates including parents and families collaborate in planning how best to share bookjoy. Join us by insuring that Día is celebrated at your libraries and schools and make sure to promote their local event(s) by registering your program in the 2013 National Día Program Registry. I’m so grateful to ALSC (Association of Library Service to Children)  and REFORMA (National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking) for collaborating with me in expanding Día’s impact. In 2013, let’s share bookjoy and help grow a nation of readers.

Today is the Feast Day of Our Lady of Guadalupe

Pat Mora

From my Author’s Note in The Beautiful Lady: Our Lady of Guadalupe

People around the world, from diverse backgrounds and economic levels, come to seek her help, to fulfill a promise, and to gaze at Juan Diego’s cloak, or tilma, which miraculously still has Our Lady’s image preserved on the cactus-fiber cloth. On December 12, her feast day, millions visit the site. In 2002, the Catholic Church canonized Juan Diego as the first indigenous saint of the Americas.

It is a pleasure to share this story and cultural tradition.

A note from the blog manager about today’s BOOK GIVEAWAY:
All you need to do to win one of 5 copies of The Beautiful Lady is add a comment below. Winners will be selected at random. I’ll note the winners in a post tomorrow morning and you can email me your address.

 

See more images of Our Lady.

THE BEAUTIFUL LADY: an Interview

Pat Mora

An interview with Pat about her new book The Beautiful Lady: Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared in yesterday’s El Paso Times.

“To me, she’s this feminine force in the universe that reminds us that there is kindness and patience and love rather than just judgment,” Mora said. “Often, religion can be about judgment, and I don’t believe that’s what she symbolizes.”

The interview also includes a selection of the rich, evocative paintings by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher used to illustrate the story.