Evolving Timeline<br>Children’s Day, Book Day<br>El día de los niños, El día de los libros (Día)
These national and state organizations and publishers actively support Children’s Day, Book Day, a yearlong initiative with culminating celebrations across the country on April 30th.
This year marks the 22nd anniversary of Día celebrations–and El Paso Public Library hasn’t missed one! Their festivities routinely draw 20-30,000 attendees, giving away up to 30,000 books to children who might not otherwise have a book of their own.
Find Día lesson plans on the American Federation of Teacher’s Share My Lesson website.
With the help of First Book, Pat created a customizable flyer for Día partners to use, encouraging others to plan April Children’s Day, Book Day celebrations.
Día partners helped to promote the 20th anniversary celebration through social media. Publishers Weekly and School Library Journal published interviews with founder Pat Mora. Celebrations large and small took place nationwide! The National Día Program Registry, managed by The Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association, reported 560 programs (from 40 states) entered for 2016, with an estimated 103, 635 participants! (The ALSC Registry reflects only those libraries who submit events to ALSC and is thus a partial estimate of Día April celebrations.)
ALSC’s Angela Hubbard, a Día Dynamo, organized a Capitol Celebration at which school children and their teachers joined Día partners Andrew Medlar, ALSC President, Día Dynamo Roxana Barillas of First Book and and Leslie Getzinger from the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) for a 20th anniversary Día celebration on Capitol Hill, complete with books, cake and lemonade. Senator Jack Reed (RI), Congressman Donald M. Payne Jr. (NJ), and Congressman Mark Takano (CA) read to the children and encouraged them to be readers. More photos.
Thanks to the leadership of Día Dynamos Mark Smith, Director and Librarian, Texas State Library and Archive Commission, and Pat Smith, Executive Director, Texas Library Association, Texas libraries celebrated Lone Star Día. Kathleen Moeller-Peiffer, New Mexico State Librarian, and her team also promoted Día throughout New Mexico libraries.
With the enthusiastic support of Roxana Barillas, Director of Hispanic Engagement, First Book will serve as judges for the 2016 Mora Awards.
Día Dynamos Christy Vasquez, a retired librarian, and Thom Eberhardt, a retired screenwriter, created and filmed five video shorts to assist in promoting Día’s 20th Anniversary nationally.
Día partner Pomelo Books published The Poetry Friday Anthology for Celebrations which includes Pat’s poem “Children’s Day, Book Day.”
The National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos & the Spanish Speaking (REFORMA) completes its 15th year of judging the Estela and Raúl Mora Award. Committee chairs included Día Dynamos and Librarians Beatriz Pascual Wallace and Lupita Arroyo.
The United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY) awarded the 2014 Bridge to Understanding Award to ALSC’s Día Family Book Club, for introducing books about diverse cultures from around the world to children and families through a series of book discussions. USBBY has been a staunch Día supporter since 2000.
Mora Award winner San Francisco Public Library partnered with local nonprofits to create their 15th annual Día celebration.
Thanks to the energy of Librarian and Día Dynamo Merri Monks, Iowa Library Services/State Library of Iowa began its statewide Día initiative which continues annually.
Día was recognized by the Library of Congress in its Literacy Awards Best Practices publication which reviews submissions made for its three awards and highlights exemplary practices implemented by programs that address illiteracy, aliteracy, or both, in the United States and globally.
Dr. Claudette S. McLinn began awarding an annual grant to a library with African-American focused Día programming.
Published authors and illustrators added their voices to the importance of linking all children and young people to books, languages and cultures.
In preparation for 2012 Día celebrations, ALSC added additional content and reorganized its Día website with additional support from Dollar General Literacy Foundation.
Librarians and Día Dynamos Lucia Gonzalez (FL), Jeanette Larson (TX), Oralia Garza de Cortés (TX), ALSC Past-President Cynthia Richey and Pat celebrated with cake at the annual ALA convention in New Orleans.
Día Dynamo Lydia Breiseth, Manager at WETV’s ¡Colorín Colorado! created a series of videos with Pat about Día. Lydia creatively promotes literacy for Spanish-speaking families and connects them to Día.
The first edition of Pat’s Día Planning Booklet “15 Día Nuggets for Día’s 15th Anniversary.”
ALSC published a book by librarian Jeanette Larson with a collection of Día programming ideas: El día de los niños/El día de los libros: Building a Culture of Literacy in Your Community through Día.
Pat’s Bookjoy blog celebrates Díapalooza, an every-day-in-April celebration on social media, for the first time.
Arte Público Press issued a special book discount for the first time, to encourage libraries to include book sharing in their Día celebrations. Arte Público continues this fine tradition.
HarperCollins published Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Day, Book Day/Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros written by Pat and illustrated by Rafael López.
Flo Trujillo, Youth Services Coordinator at the Farmington, New Mexico Public Library, inspired Pat to create the Día Dynamos.
Thanks to organizing by ALSC, U.S. Senators Debbie Stabenow and Ken Salazar and Congressmen Rubén Hinojosa and Mike Honda were joined by local children and Pat at the U.S. Capitol to honor Día.
Pat launched the Bookjoy blog. The first post shared her upcoming Día travel schedule, with stops at the University of Southern Mississippi, Seattle Public Library, Multnomah County Library, and Riverside County Public Libraries.