Exciting Día News!

Wow! ALSC now has over 400 Día events registered at their Día web page. We encourage all Día event organizers to post their events at the Día Celebrations page on the ALA website.

The Día countdown is 8 days!

Día News

April is a busy literacy month. I had the good fortune to attend the ever-exciting Texas Library Association (TLA) conference recently in Houston. It is so gratifying to hear the growing interest in serving Latino students and families. Even I’m amazed that 1 in 4 children under 5 is now Latino. Librarians made me smile with their interest in my BOOK FIESTA written specifically for Día. Though many librarians and teachers don’t speak Spanish and admit they feel a bit intimidated at trying another language, their desire to help their students helps them dive in, ask the students for help or invite older students, peers or families in to assist. So many librarians would say, “Oh I want my children to learn Spanish,” or “I want my grandbabies to learn Spanish.”

I soon leave for Detroit, Durham and Greensboro to participate in their Día celebrations. More than 385 libraries and schools have registered their Día events at www.ala.org/dia! A young reporter from Greensboro asked me the excellent question, ”What makes Día different other literacy celebrations?” Here’s my answer.

Since literacy is essential in our democracy, Día which means “day” in Spanish, is a call to action. Día emphasizes daily commitments to:
• the importance of children,
• linking all children to books, languages and cultures,
• the importance of children’s books that reflect our national diversity,
• and to parents and families as partners with libraries and schools in the literacy process of sharing bookjoy.

Día culminates in annual celebrations of these daily commitments across the country on or near April 30th, community book fiestas. 2009 is its 13th anniversary.

Enjoy sharing bookjoy! Pat

NoveList Interview

In the recent issue of NoveList School News,edited by Julie Corsaro, Pat discusses the evolution of Día, as well as Book Fiesta!, her new bilingual picture book commemoration. Read the interview here.

Share a Story/ Shape a Future

Back in March, a group of Kidlitosphere bloggers presented a week long online literacy event called Share a Story/ Shape a Future. In addition to a Literacy Resource Kit, (available as a pdf) there's now also a dedicated blog. Check it often for useful information and links.
(Logo created by Elizabeth Dulemba.)

Abundant April

April is a month full of celebrations – we celebrate the earth, national parks and jazz; humor, penguins and pet owners. And, of course, poetry and literacy -- April is National Poetry Month and April 30th is El dia di los ninos, el dia de los libros/ Children’s Day, Book Day. Pat is thrilled to participate in two events sponsored by Kidlitosphere bloggers honoring National Poetry Month. Greg K at Gotta Book has created 30 Poets/30 Days where each day during April he’ll post a previously unpublished poem by a different poet. Over at The Miss Rumphius Effect, there’ll be interviews with poets every day. Pat is scheduled on April 30 for both blogs.

There’s a full description of these poetry related events and more at Miss Rumphius.

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.