Pat Mora's Blog, page 28

Adobe Odes: 49 Poems to Stop and Savor

"[This] collection of poems invites her readers to slow down, turn inward and appreciate the beauty in simplicity…an exercise in giving thanks…If your life has become so frantic and busy that all you can focus on is what task you can check off today’s list, then Mora’s odes may be just the medicine for what ails you…The spaces between her words are as enticing as what she chooses to put on the page. The odes breathe and allow the reader to reflect without competition. Give this collection as...

One Minute Till Bedtime

We’re so pleased that Pat has a poem in this new collection!

One Minute Till Bedtime:
60-Second Poems to Send You Off to Sleep
Edited by former Children’s Poet Laureate Kenn Nesbitt and illustrated by Christoph Niemann.

"A dreamy collection of bedtime poems and witty illustrations that’s anything but sleepy."—Kirkus

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Growing a Nation of Readers

We hope you’ll download and share this poster, encouraging all to share bookjoy throughout the year!

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A Thanksgiving Message from Pat

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November is National Adoption Awareness Month

"Five-year-old Pablo can hardly wait to see how Abuelito, his grandfather, has decorated Pablo’s tree for his birthday. When Mamá first told her father that she was going to adopt a baby…Lito went out and bought the tree for his grandson…A lovely and resonant picture book that, like the tree that Pablo discovers decked with bells and wind chimes, rings with happiness and family love."—Booklist

Activities for sharing Pablo’s Tree in the classroom:

Using branches, have students create their o...

November is Picture Book Month

We celebrate Picture Book Month in November, but picture books can be shared in the classroom with students of all ages throughout the year!

A good choice for elementary school students is Water Rolls, Water Rises/El agua rueda, el agua sube. The book has many curriculum connections, including Poetry, Geography, Science, Writing and Visual Art. Discover curriculum activities and explore the book with the publisher’s teacher’s guide and a teacher’s guide that aligns with TEKS (Texas Essential...

Brave Little Company Theatre Presents Bravo, Chico Canta! Bravo!

Through December, the Brave Little Company of Houston is performing a play based on Bravo, Chico Canta! Bravo!, written by Pat and her daughter Libby Martinez. Schools, libraries, hospitals, and community centers can book the show through Young Audiences of Houston.

We sent Brave Little Theatre some questions about this play and about their previous production of Pat’s book Tomás and the Library Lady.

How and when did your touring company start?
We started in 2013, with our first production,...

Congratulations to 2016 Mora Award Honor Winner: Brownsville Independent School District

We’re so happy to celebrate Julie Rivera and her team of Día ambassadors from the Brownsville Independent School District (BISD) in Brownsville, Texas. BISD was a Mora Award Honor winner in 2014 and was chosen again for a 2016 Honor.

Julie Rivera

Julie, how and why did you become interested in Día?
To be honest, it was Ms. Maria Elena Ovalle from Region 1 who got me interested in El día de los niños, el día de los libros activities.

What advice do you have for Día 2017 planners?
I would advise...

Festival Voces & Visones

“The Voces & Visiones Festival of the Arts, History and Culture brings together and bridges the peoples and cultures across the borderlands of Arizona and Mexico to open eyes, hearts and minds about who we are, how we live, and the ways we communicate our deepest emotions and insights at this unbounded region of adaptability and change.”

Pat is speaking at this year’s festival: “One Author’s Journey: An Afternoon with Pat Mora” begins at 3:30 on Thurs., November 3.

The post Festival Voces &...

Remembering and Celebrating Our Loved Ones

Pause. Savor a remembering moment. Think of a special loved one who enriched your life. Remember his or her face, voice, hands.

I have many such relatives which is why I wrote the family memoir House of Houses. I want us, our children and students to remember and to celebrate those we have loved and love.

I wrote The Remembering Day/El día de los muertos to strengthen this tradition in our homes, schools and libraries.

Savor remembering.
Pat

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