Mark Your Calendars

. . . for this great upcoming conference! Jointly sponsored by the University of South Carolina and the University of Alabama, the Second Annual Celebration of Latino Children's Literature Conferencewill be held in Columbia, S.C. on April 24-25, 2009. Dr. Sonia Nieto is the keynote speaker; authors and illustrators Lulu Delacre, Lućia González and Maya Christina Gonzalez will present workshops and there will be a community and family Dia program. For more information, click here.

Thanks to NoveList School News for the link.

Bookjoy Alert!

I am so excited that María Hinojosa, host of NPR’s Latino USA, and her staff are helping us spread the good word about Día and about the importance of books and libraries.

“To any and all book lovers who have a good story to tell about how a book or librarian infused a child's life with joy or purpose. NPR's Latino USA is planning a feature to air before El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/ Book Day) in April that will share some of these stories about the power of books.

Do you have a story or can you help us find one? We are in search of all voices: young, old, in Spanish, Somali or any language. Write to us and tell us the story, and we may call you up for an interview. Others will be included on our web site.

We are especially interested in stories about Latino and immigrant children. Or in the kids themselves if they'd like!"

Please send them to Katie Davis(KDavisDC@aol.com)

Help us find stories and help us spread bookjoy by insuring that Día is being celebrated this April in your community. Reminder: Día celebrations are a great time to talk about Summer Reading Clubs.

Día Champions

Pat wants to recognize outstanding 2009 Día Champions. On this blog,throughout March and April, we'll introduce you to some outstanding Día literacy advocates. Are there librarians, educators, or community people you'd like Pat to recognize? Use the comments section to let us know.

Flo Trujillo, Youth Services Coordinator at the Farmington Public Library (NM) and the state Afterschool Ambassador (an Afterschool Alliance program), is our first Día Champion. Here she describes her library's Día festivities

In San Juan County the Farmington Public Library will host the Día celebration on April 30th with a tailgate party. It is not mandatory but toddler through elementary participants will be asked to bring a book wrapped as a gift. When the music starts the books are exchanged until the music stops. Through donations, everyone will leave with a book on that day! Middle school students will participate through 21st Century, by making available an activity for the toddlers and elementary students. Middle and High school students will participate in a Poetry workshop and Slam. High school students can join the celebration of the Blended Zine release party – a magazine published by teens for teens. Families can enjoy a game of Frisbee with the Navajo, Spanish, Italian and French words for El día de los niños/El día de los libros displayed on the Frisbee to celebrate the multicultural celebration of Día.

As an incentive for libraries and community centers to register their activities with ALSC's national registry site, the New Mexico Library Association is giving five $100 awards to random selected libraries and community centers who register.

Flo knows "school and public libraries are an essential resource In these economic times – they provide a safe place for youth and inspire youth to learn using up-to-date technology for homework help. But, the celebration is not only for school and public libraries… it is for the whole community! Join an organization that is celebrating Día and develop a new partnership or volunteer your time to help organize an event for youth."

In her role as Afterschool Ambassor, Flo is uniquely positioned to promote Día throughout the state. She "believe(s) that with our new partnerships, next year will be bigger and better! Investing in programs for youth during afterschool and out of school time strengthens our community!"

Libraries in over half the country will celebrate Día!

Exciting news! So far, one hundred and sixty school and public libraries in over 30 states have registered their Día events with ALSC. Check out the interactive map on ALSC's Dia web pages for details about these events and programs.

When the Great Ones Were Little Ones

I’ve been wanting to suggest the fine reviews by Oralia Garza de Cortés in the fall/winter issue of the REFORMA Newsletter. Oralia reviews four children’s book biographies in Lectorum Publications’ Spanish-language series, “Cuando Los Grandes Eran Pequeños” (“When the Great Ones Were Little Ones”). Like Oralia, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about José Martí, Pablo Neruda, Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz, and Julia de Burgos. I congratulate Teresa Mlawer, Lectorum President, for this excellent resource.

USBBY in New York City

Last week, I attended my first USBBY Board meeting in NY. What a committed group. If you haven’t joined USBBY (United StatesBoard on Books for Young People), I encourage you to do so. I also encourage you to add April 2, Hans Christian Andersen’s Birthday, celebrated in many countries as International Children’s Book Day, to your literacy planning calendar. We say that every day is Día, an opportunity to celebrate children and linking all children to books. April 2, then, is a good day to focus on international books.

While in NY, my husband and I celebrated Valentine’s Day by seeing the 2008 Tony Award winning musical, “In the Heights.” Frankly, I seldom go to NYC, and it was an absolute thrill to see the talented and energetic Latino cast. Treat yourself to this if you can. You too will be part of an enthusiastic standing ovation.

2009 Día Materials from ALSC

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.

Bilingual Holiday Titles

Looking for bilingual holiday titles that celebrate Latino culture? Pat has two backlist titles that are wonderful for gifts or use for holiday programming in libraries or bookstores.
Gift of the Poinsettia/ El regalo de la flor de nochebuena , written by Pat Mora with Charles Ramírez Berg and illustrated by Daniel Lechon, "introduces readers to Mexican traditions and inspires them to think about gift-giving in a different way. The authors take children through each of the days of the posada ("inn") celebration, in which celebrants take figurines representing the Virgin Mary and Joseph from one inn to another as they look for a place to rest. Carlos worries that he has no money to buy a special gift to offer the Christ child, but his grandmother urges him to pick a flower along the way. This humble flower blossoms into a glorious poinsettia on Christmas Eve. An enjoyable selection for readers of any age." Criticas

In the colorful picture book, The Bakery Lady/La señora de la panadería written by Pat Mora and illustrated by Pablo Torrecilla, Mónica yearns to be a baker like her grand-parents. Her first real test comes as she and her be- loved grandparents prepare for the coming celebration of January sixth, Feast of the Three Kings, el Día de los Reyes Magos. When Mónica finds the traditional baby figure in the round bread ring that shines with cherries and pecans, the rosca de reyes, it becomes her responsibility to plan the celebration: invitations, decorations, and most important of all, the lemon cookies that Mónica will bake especially for her family and friends. And although she wants to do it all herself, she discovers that the love and help of family can make any job a joy.
Click here for a recipe for delicious rosca de reyes. Enjoy!