Día in Seattle

Pat Mora

Invite a local celebrity to celebrate your Día! Whether it’s a politician, broadcaster, athlete or a popular business owner, he or she can help draw families and enliven your event, as well as underscore the value of reading and culture. Ask your celebrity to read aloud from a childhood favorite or their kids’ favorite bedtime story. Invite them to talk about the importance of reading and libraries in their lives. Create a display of their favorite books, or biographies about them if available. Request a copy of their professional photo and use in your publicity and bulletin boards to generate interest and excitement.

A recent Seattle Public Library Día celebration hosted Jaime Mendez, a highly-respected local radio and TV personality in the Spanish-speaking community. Here he reads aloud from “Book Fiesta” by Pat Mora.”

Many thanks to our guest blogger, Beatriz Pascual Wallace, MLIS Children’s Librarian, The Seattle Public Library.

Share Día with Lee & Low Books

Pat Mora

Happy Día! On Lee and Low’s web site and blog, we celebrate books and kids every day. We have activities to add an extra level of fun and classroom guides to add an extra level of exploration. Our Booktalks bring readers into the processes as we discuss books with their authors and illustrators. Plus, we think books are to be shared—we share the experience of reading in discussions on The Open Book, from favorite covers to favorite puncuation and whatever else strikes our fancy.

NCTE Supports Día

Pat Mora

At its annual business meeting held in November 2005 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) adopted a resolution in support of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day.) Since then, NCTE has increased awareness and programming to support culturally and linguistically diverse literacy activities at home, in school, and in the community for more successful readers. The photos highlight some of the NCTE supported activities hosted in schools, libraries, and homes across the country to spread “bookjoy.”

“Pat Mora’s efforts with the Día initiative have enriched our schools, libraries, and homes through a reading, book-rich life. Indeed, our literate lives are in bloom. ¡Bravo, Pat!”

               −R. Joseph Rodriguez, educator and researcher

Thank you to our guest blogger R. Joseph Rodriguez, Ph.D. with the Division of Instructional Innovation and Assessment (DIIA) at the University of Texas at Austin.

Pat Celebrates Día in Galveston TX

Pat Mora
I hope that you are enjoying all the Díapalooza posts as much as I am. Although I cherish the Santa Fe quiet to do my writing, I derive great energy from visiting exciting literacy and literature events. On April 3, I was in Galveston for the Rosenberg Library’s first Día celebration. Congratulations to Children’s Librarian Karen Stanley and to the staff and local teachers who helped create a day that included a treasure hunt in the library (to acquaint children and families with the different departments), a book give-away, flower making, and piñatas. Children had been given raffle tickets for every book they read in preparation for my visit, and those whose names were drawn joined me for a delicious catered lunch.
At the end of my morning presentation, thanks to the work of some dedicated teachers, the audience and I enjoyed hearing a Mexican children’s song and watching some girls dressed like the girls in the book about my mom, THE RAINBOW TULIP.
The children at this Día event received Summer Reading Club T-shirts too. Remember that Día is a great kick-off to Summer Reading and provides an opportunity for librarians at public libraries to work to collaborate with school librarians and teachers.

April: Together promote Día celebrations as an annual tradition at home, school, and the public library.
May: Together collaborate to encourage pleasure reading during May and to re-enforce the importance of Summer Reading Clubs.
June: Together insure that all children understand the when, what, and how of Summer Reading Clubs.

Our country needs reading families. Thanks to each of you who shares bookjoy and who is part of Día’s National Family.

Book Giveaway
Pat and Karen Stanley