Pat Mora's Blog, page 30

Sharing the Día Timeline

We’re still celebrating Día’s 20th year! We’ve created an Evolving Día Timeline that celebrates the people and organizations that have helped to grow Día and share bookjoy these many years.

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Texas Institute of Letters Lifetime Achievement Award

Author Pat Mora has been named the winner of the Texas Institute of Letters’ prestigious Lon Tinkle Award for Lifetime Achievement. This is the highest honor given by the TIL which was established in 1936 to recognize distinctive literary achievement. The award will be presented to Mora at the TIL’s annual banquet, set for April 8, 2017 in El Paso.

“Pat Mora is one of the most beloved and acclaimed writers from Texas,” TIL President Steve Davis said. “It was a joyful occasion when the TIL cou...

First Book Celebrates Welcoming Week

Hooray for First Book, celebrating Welcoming Week September 16-25! Welcoming Week is an annual celebration designed to raise awareness of the benefits of welcoming everyone–including new Americans! They’ve chosen some books to help you cultivate a welcoming community within your school, classroom or program. Some are stories of students navigating new schools or new cultures. Others are books that encourage empathy by helping kids better understand their similarities and differences.

The pos...

September 16: Constitution Day and Citizenship Day

U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services recognizes September 16 as Constitution Day and Citizenship Day, encouraging Americans to reflect on the rights and responsibilities of citizenship and what it means to be a U.S. citizen. On their website, they provide resources to help people prepare for the naturalization process and free online tools and materials for educators.

Illustration from I Pledge Allegiance by Pat Mora and Libby Martinez. Click to see larger image.

"Libby and her Great Au...

September 11: Do something grand for Grandparents Day

Grandparents, today is a perfect day to share your wisdom, perspective and stories with your families!

In Pat’s colorful bilingual picture book The Bakery Lady/La señora de la panadería, Mónica yearns to be a baker like her grandparents; readers will enjoy visiting the wonderfully sweet bakery world of la panadería.

Illustration by Pablo Torrecilla from The Bakery Lady.

The love between a boy and his grandfather is at the center of Pablo’s Tree, an adoption story where Pablo’s grandfather cel...

September 8: International Literacy Day

This year marks the 50th anniversary of International Literacy Day and UNESCO is celebrating it under the banner “Reading the Past, Writing the Future.” International Literacy Day 2016 celebrates and honors the past five decades of national and international engagement, efforts and progress made to increase literacy rates around the world.

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Creative Educators = Engaged Students

With the beginning of a new school year, educators prepare to guide and inspire their students to be imaginative, literate, critical thinkers and lifelong learners. What a challenge!

In ZING! Seven Creativity Practices for Educators & Students, Pat proposes seven practices that can assist in developing personal creativity and professional inventiveness. Following these practices ensures you are tending to your own creative health and are thus able to support your students.

Reprinted from Zing...

September is Library Card Sign-up Month

The American Library Association annually sponsors Library Card Sign-up Month. This year they’re asking librarians, parents and kids to share how the library makes you happy. Post your comments, photo or video to Twitter or Instagram using the hashtag #LibraryHappinessIs.

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A Grand Day

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New Resource Book from Jamie Campbell Naidoo and Katie Scherrer

Día Dynamo Jamie Campbell Naidoo has a new book, co-authored with Katie Scherrer. Once Upon a Cuento: Bilingual Storytimes in English and Spanish is an all-in-one resource for librarians, sharing strategies to attract Latino and Spanish-speaking families to the library. Find out more.

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