Welcome to our month-long celebration of Día’s 16th Anniversary and to our third annual Díapalooza! Día advocates are readers who believe that children matter and that books matter. We want every child to experience bookjoy, the pleasure and power of reading. We want all families to be reading families in all languages and cultures.

April is a month with many literary and literacy observances, reminders. Of course, our real literacy work is done all year long, day by day, día por día. This year during Díapalooza we’re featuring the first Día Author & Illustrator Ambassadors  and an alphabet for Día advocates, A-Zing.

I’m looking forward to participating in Día book fiestas in Houston April 21 at Discovery Green and in my home city of El Paso, Texas, April 30th at Burnet and Kohlberg Schools. Thanks to all the committed and energetic literacy advocates who plan and support annual, culminating April Día celebrations across the country. Special thanks to REFORMA members, my first partners in Día , and to ALSC where Día is now housed.

Spring: hope, children, the hope of our world. “Everyone is the age of their heart,” says a Guatemalan proverb. Let’s all be young at heart as we champion the young, let’s creatively share bookjoy.

Enjoy this video of past Día celebrations!