Dear Teachers,
I hope that you and your students will find this letter helpful. I also hope you’ll share this letter with your colleagues. All my previous letters to children are posted in the Kid Fun section of the website.
Want to do us a favor? Let us know if these letters are useful. We welcome your ideas.
Wishing you a rewarding school year of inspiring your students to be readers and writers,
Pat
Click the letter to see a larger view:
Author Monica Brown
You can also download an educator’s guide!
I rarely go back and read books I’ve written. I prefer working on new manuscripts. Thumbing through Communion, a book published twenty-five years ago, is a journey to my past. Places I visited: San Francisco, Mexico, India, Pakistan, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, and long drives between Santa Fe and Cincinnati. I find stories people told me and references to what I was reading and what I was thinking and feeling.
I remain grateful to Dr. Nicolas Kanellos and Arte Público Press, for publishing my first book Chants (1984), and my next two poetry collections Borders (1986), and Communion (1991). Poetry for all ages remains my favorite genre. Unfortunately, poetry doesn’t sell well, placing manuscripts is a challenge, and I wonder who will read what I’ve worked on and be sustained by the words.
Yes, we are technologically savvy, fast-paced and a highly visual society, but individually and collectively, what is lost in our reluctance to be still and reflective?
Pat
I was encouraged to write this four-book series of easy-read bilingual books by a friend in Texas who is not bilingual but who generously and creatively fosters literacy by putting bilingual books in the hands of children who need them.
In this series, readers meet the Rosas family: Isabel, Tina, Danny, Mom, Dad, and Abuelita. They meet the family’s dog, Tico, and the family’s new kitty too. The books depict children’s daily activities: a family meal, chasing a kitten, bedtime, and a boy’s mischief.
Pat
Illustration by Mirabel Suarez from Let’s Eat ¡A comer!
We are celebrating Día’s 20th Anniversary this year! Thanks to all the wonderful Dynamos who promote celebrating all our children throughout the year and culminating April book fiestas.
On May 15, 2015, Angela Hubbard became the Program Officer, Projects & Partnerships at the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA). ALSC is a major Día partner, and Angela became an enthusiastic supporter adding her leadership and positive energy as soon as she joined our team. Her prompt responses and helpful questions are helping to expand our work. Thanks, Angela!
