The 2009 Dia brochure is now available from ALSC. Libraries registering their Día events can receive up to 200 copies of the brochure free. There’s also a new interactive map so you can look up events across the country and Día wiki.
Bookjoy Legacy
What an emotional and uplifting day for this nation and the world. In his inaugural address, President Barack Obama challenges each of us. “Starting today, we must pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and begin again the work of remaking America.” As a speaker, writer and leader, Obama is comfortable with the word “work” and with the struggle implied. As a country, we often celebrate and reward wealth and power rather than honoring the daily challenges we all face and the challenges some of us have been spared.
Obama also spoke about legacy, and those of us who know bookjoy have an exciting legacy to share—with friends, family, colleagues, and especially with families and children who haven’t yet experienced the wonder, information, pleasure and power in the volumes we hold in our hands, share and discuss. Energized by this historic day, may we commit ourselves again to sharing and promoting the power of words and literacy to change and enrich the lives that need us to excite them about books. May we be part of the grand “work of remaking America” by being creative, committed literacy advocates.
Mock Pura Belpré
It’s the time of year when many libraries are holding mock Newbery and Caldecott Awards. The ALSC listserv recently reported the results of the Mock Belpré that was sponsored by the Heartland Chapter of REFORMA on Jan. 3. You can see the list of books up for discussion and the link to the program at http://skyways.lib.ks.us/orgs/reforma/belpre08.html
The honored books were:
Winner: Text
The Surrender Tree by Margarita Engle
Honor Books: Text
Animal Poems of the Iguazu by Francisco Alarcon
Perfect Day for Dreaming by Benjamin Alire Saenz
Winner: Illustration
Papa and Me by Arthur Dorros, illus. By Rudy Gutierrez
Honor Books: Illustration
Animal Poems of the Iguazu by Francisco Alarcon, illus. by Maya Christina Gonzalez
Quinito Day and Night by Ina Cumpiano, illus. by Jose Ramirez
Thanks to Jean Hatfield for the news.
Voces, a new blog
Dear fellow book lovers,
Greetings from cold Santa Fe. Yes, temperatures can get much too cold in the high desert. The hills outside my window dusted with snow are beautiful though.
I am so excited that my friend, Adriana Dominguez, an expert on Latino children’s books, a talented translator, and the wonderful editor of my new bilingual book, Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day, Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros illustrated by Rafael López is launching a new blog for and about Latino authors and their books. Adriana is knowledgeable, committed and enthusiastic. She has been a Día fan since she first heard about the family literacy concept. Visit this wonderful resource
Voces.
Wishing you good holidays, a Happy New Year and a year of savoring and sharing bookjoy,
Pat
Críticas Interview with Rose Treviño
You can read an excellent interview with the remarkable Rose Treviño in Críticas,”Serving Spanish-Language Patrons — A Q & A with Rose Treviño.” Rose is the Youth Services Coordinator for the Houston Public Library, a library system that serves one of the biggest Spanish-speaking populations in the country. She is a passionate advocate for Latino children’s literature and library services to Latinos.
Here’s what she has to say about her new book:
You edited The Pura Belpré Awards: Celebrating Latino Authors and Illustrators (ALA Editions, 2006). What motivated you to create this wonderful resource for libraries and educators?
This was actually an invitation made to me by the staff at ALSC. I was immediately excited about the possibility, and knew that with the right team in place, the book could certainly be written. The book would not have been what it is without the help of Oralia Garza de Cortés, Sandra Balderrama, Ana-Elba Pavón, and Jean Hatfield. Having Oralia and Sandra on the team provided us with the award’s vision, background, and history. Ana and Jean brought their experience of working on the award committee and the promotional efforts they put together in their communities.