Jamie Naidoo
Dr. Jamie Cambell Naidoo, Assistant & Foster-EBSCO Endowed Professor, School of Library & Information Studies, University of Alabama is our first Día Dynamo professor. It’s exciting to see a young academic, a staunch Día supporter, teaching through his example on his campus, in his community, and in his national professional organizations including ALA. Through his National Latino Children’s Literature Conference, his work with Día Noche de Cuentos, and school and library events, he celebrates Latino cultural literacy. In person and on the page, Jamie inspires present and future librarians and teachers when he shares Día’s goals, rationale and potential. A prolific publisher and enthusiastic, engaging presenter across the country, Jamie has a knack for making Día irresistible, an obvious family literacy initiative for all. Gracias, Jamie!
Read our interview with Jamie 
When and how did you become interested in sharing bookjoy?
I think I’ve always been interested in sharing bookjoy – I just didn’t have a word for my passion until Pat came up with the name! As a public librarian and later as a school librarian, I was very passionate about connecting all children with books and sharing the excitement of life-long learning and reading with them via read-alouds, puppet shows, etc. As a college professor, I instill bookjoy in my graduate students via various courses in library services and materials for children and teens. In May 2011, I offered a course focused entirely on Día programming and Día grant writing. I think it might actually be the first college course anywhere dedicated to Día!
How did you first learn about Día and what has been your experience with Día?
I first learned of Día in 2005 while working on my dissertation which explored Latino children’s literature. My first Día experiences was a Día event that I hosted in April 2008 as part of the first Latino Children’s Literature Conference that a colleague and I hosted in Columbia, SC. We invited Latina author-illustrator Yuyi Morales to share stories and games with local children and distributed copies of her book Just a Minute to all children in attendance. Since 2008, I’ve hosted 3 additional Día events with each one giving more books to children and connecting them with more Latino authors and illustrators.
What are your hopes for Día 2012?
I hope that even more libraries offer Día programs than last year. I would particularly like to see libraries in states with anti-immigration laws host dynamic Día events to counteract some of the hostility in their communities. I also hope that school libraries will join the Día fun and host Día programs year-round!
What helpful tip(s) do you have for those organizing a Día event for the first time?
Start small and market, market, market! It is fantastic to have authors, free books, food, and bookjoy to the max but you want children and their families to attend too. You can’t just “build it” and hope they’ll come! You have to get out in the community, network, and advertise!
What is your favorite example of Bookjoy as either a child or an adult?
At the last Día event that I hosted in March 2012, I was delighted to see children from all cultural backgrounds hugging, reading, and enjoying a picture book that demonstrates how the subject of loose teeth can create cross-cultural connections. As part of the event, Rene Colato Lainez told the story of The Tooth Fairy Meets El Raton Perez and each child received a copy of the book. The children also worked with Latina author F. Isabel Compoy to act out a Latino folktale – it was pure magic to see even the smallest and shyest child becoming engaged with the story!
What are you reading now?
I’m currently reading Aristotle and Dante Discover the Secrets of the Universe by Benjamin Alire Saenz.
Here is a quote from Jamie about Dia:
“Día provides a catalyst for dynamic cultural literacy programming in classrooms and libraries, connecting readers of all ages to high-quality, authentic literature that mirrors our culturally pluralistic society.”
Jamie talks about this year’s National Latino Children’s Literature Conference:
“I believe in the power of Día to promote literacy and have incorporated it into my National Latino Children’s Literature Conference, which is held biannually in March. Since the conference’s inception in 2007, Día has been a perfect avenue for celebrating Latino cultural literacy and distributing high-quality Latino children’s literature to children and their families via free Día community events in libraries and schools. In March 2012, I hosted a Noche de Cuentos celebration of Día at the Tuscaloosa Public Library where children and their families joined attendees from the National Latino Children’s Literature Conference and 7 Latino authors and illustrators as we celebrated bookjoy! Each child received a free copy of The Tooth Fairy Meets El Ratón Pérez and each family received a free copy of ¡Muu, Moo!: Animal Nursery Rhymes. The authors of these books engaged the children in storytelling and signed copies of their books.”
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Authors & illustrators attending the 2012 NLCLC
Back L to R: René Colato Laínez, Alma Flor Ada, John Parra, Joe Cepeda
Front L to R: Jamie Naidoo, Lila Quintero Weaver, Monica Brown, Meg Medina |
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| A Dia flower |
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