Today’s guest blog post is by Pat Mora, award-winning author and founder of El día le los niños, El día de los libros/Children’s Day, Book Day.
All the books Pat recommends are available at deeply discounted prices on the First Book Marketplace to educators and programs serving children in need.
A lifetime of reading teaches us the pleasure and power of books, and that literature at all levels and from all cultures can not only teach us but humanize us.
Through the writings of others we can share the experiences of a Midwest family on a farm years ago, the fear of a Jewish family during the Holocaust or the internment terror of Japanese families here during World War II. As readers, we can share in the triumph of a black family or an Egyptian family that writes a play about its history or traditions. By reading writers from the diverse cultures that are part of our United States, children learn new songs, celebrations, folk tales and stories with a cultural context.
This is what El día de los niños, El día de los libros/Children’s Day, Book Day is all about – implementing creative literacy strategies using diverse books and planning Día book fiestas for all children, from all cultures, in all languages. High-quality children’s books that reflect our rich plurality are able to reveal the many ways we are all alike as well as the ways we are all different.
Another major element in Día is honoring. Do we connect our literacy goals and efforts with really honoring each child and honoring home languages and cultures? Once honoring culture becomes a priority, creative and dedicated staff and families can propose and share ideas. Teachers and parents can create a sense of “bookjoy” with stories, games, literacy crafts and read-alouds. Coaching parents who did not have diverse literacy experiences growing up is of particular importance; whether a family is Spanish- speaking, English-speaking, Chinese-speaking, etc., we need to invest in respectfully and innovatively coaching multilingual families to join us in sharing a love of books.
Today, twenty-five percent of our children live in poverty – including one-third of black and Hispanic children. By 2018, children of color will be the majority in the U.S. What can we do to serve them and their families well? Celebrating Día and creatively championing the importance of literacy for children from all backgrounds is one way to start. Here’s to becoming a reading nation!
Here are 4 titles that can help you spread “bookjoy” and celebrate El día de los niños, El Día de los libros/Children’s Day, Book Day with children in your community! Sign up with First Book to access these and other great titles on the First Book Marketplace.
You can learn more about Pat Mora and El día de los niños, El Día de los libros/Children’s Day, Book Day on Pat’s website.
The post Four Books to Celebrate El día de los niños appeared first on First Book Blog.
Guest Blogger Lydia Breiseth is the manager of the bilingual English-Spanish website Colorín Colorado, whose mission is to provide educators and parents with information about teaching English language learners to read and succeed. Ms. Breiseth began her career teaching English to adults in Ecuador with the educational exchange program WorldTeach, and has subsequently taught English and Spanish in a variety of educational and family literacy programs to students of all ages. Prior to working at Colorín Colorado, Ms. Breiseth served as the Community Affairs Liaison at Telemundo Washington DC, managing outreach initiatives to the region’s Hispanic community.
From Durham to Salt Lake City, from Albuquerque to Ypsilanti, from Birmingham to Boulder, libraries around the country are getting ready for a celebration that is gaining popularity each year—El día de los niños/El día de los libros (The Day of the Book/The Day of the Child).
This year marks the 13th anniversary of a celebration founded by children’s author Pat Mora. The holiday is the American version of the traditional Mexican holiday El día de los niños. After Pat Mora took up the cause in 1997 to combine the focus on children with a strong focus on reading, the U.S. Congress officially designated April 30 as “Day of the Child” a year later.
Why has “Día” grown so much each year? It may have something to do with the increasing Latino population around the country. Communities that didn’t traditionally have a large Latino population now are making adjustments to respond to their new neighbors in all sectors of society, including schools and libraries. Día offers a wonderful opportunity to invite Spanish-speaking families to get to know the local public library and all of the programs and resources it has to offer – including growing collections of Spanish and bilingual books. It also exposes the rest of the community to the rich selection of bilingual children’s literature available, such as multicultural books written by Latino or Latina authors in addition to Spanish translations of children’s classics.
If you are looking for a Día celebration in your neighborhood or would like some ideas for Día activities, here are some great resources from Colorín Colorado, Pat Mora, and the Association for Library Service for Children:
You may also be interested in Colorín Colorado’s bilingual book recommendations for children, as well as our parent articles about visiting the library (available in English and Spanish).
Have a wonderful time preparing for and enjoying Día – and when it’s over, remember that every day is a great day to celebrate children and reading in any language!
Guest Blogger Rachael Walker is the Outreach Consultant for Reading Rockets, a national multimedia initiative which aims to inform and inspire parents, teachers, childcare providers, and others who touch the life of a child by providing comprehensive, accessible information on how to teach kids to read and help those who struggle. Rachael began her career in literacy outreach at Reading Is Fundamental (RIF), has also served as a consultant to the NEA’s Read Across America campaign, and was most recently the Executive Director of Reach Out and Read of Metro DC.
It’s Tuesday! On Tuesday, he ate through two pears, but he was still hungry. Know who “he” was? The Very Hungry Caterpillar!
If you’re hungry for a reading adventure, celebrate the 40th anniversary of the publication of Eric Carle’s classic picture book The Very Hungry Caterpillar with Reading Rockets’ free Family Literacy Bag. What Happens Next? The Very Hungry Caterpillar is one of seven activity packets designed to help educators and caregivers use fiction and non-fiction titles to support reading activities at home and encourage families to go on a reading adventure together.
This Friday might be an excellent day to take such an adventure. Philomel Books, a division of Penguin Young Readers Group, has named March 20—the first day of spring—The Very Hungry Caterpillar Day. They offer a very celebratory activity kit (PDF) ideal for classroom and library use.
Spring is a great time to celebrate reading and there’s no shortage of opportunities to do so in April and May. Are you ready for the following reading events?
National Poetry Month: Celebrate poetry throughout April and end the month with Poem In Your Pocket Day on Thursday, April 30.
National D.E.A.R. Day: April 12 is author Beverly Cleary’s birthday and National Drop Everything and Read Day. Send this e-card to all the readers you hold dear!
National Library Week: The annual celebration of the contributions of our nation’s libraries and librarians is April 12-18. Celebrate with the theme, “Worlds connect @ your library.”
El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Day of the Child/Day of the Book): This April 30 celebration borrows from the traditional Mexican holiday and expands it to include literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Hear what children’s book author Pat Mora has to say about the founding of Día.
Get Caught Reading Month: Celebrated in May, but the Association of American Publishers’ nationwide campaign to remind people of all ages how much fun it is to read is promoted throughout the year. You can order their free posters of celebrities caught reading or make your own!
I wll like to have more information about dia del nino - dia del libro
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Thank you,
Mary Longoria