Pat Mora's Blog, page 70

Jeanette Larson Reads for Día

Throughout this month's Díapalooza we're showing brief videos of some of the Día Author and Illustrator Ambassadors reading aloud. They've created these videos especially for Díapalooza. Today Jeanette Larson shares a story from her book Hummingbirds: Facts and Fiction from the Americas.



Jeanette, thank you for your support of Día and for being a Día Author and Illustrator Ambassador!  Read Jeanette's interview about literacy and Día.

Díapalooza Book Giveaways

This past week's winners of book sets are Lauren, and Jane in South Dakota! Thanks to everyone who entered.


More chances to win a set of children's books!

Each set will include 3-4 new children's books and a signed copy of one of Pat's titles. To enter, comment on this post or any Díapalooza post and include an email address (formatted like pat at patmora dot com.) Or send an email directly to lcashin at patmora dot com with Díapalooza Book Giveaway in the subject line. U. S. only please. Deadline is each Friday during April (4.13, 4.20, and 4.27) midnight EST. There will be 2 random drawings each Friday.

Día Advocates A - ZING!

I enjoyed creating a Día alphabet for all the dedicated Día advocates hosting Día celebrations this month. I chose 26 nouns that matter to our Día National Community. Below is a second sneak peek. At the end of the month, we’ll post the complete alphabet as a designed poster, ready to download, print, display on your bulletin board or wall. It will also be fun to share.
See letters A-I here

J  Joy

K Knowledge
L   Literacy
M  Mora Award
N   Network
O  Optimism
P  Partner 
Q  Quality
R   Readers

Día Events in New Mexico

Today our guest blogger, Flo Truillo, writes about Día celebrations in Farmington and Albuquerque, New Mexico. Flo is the Youth Services Coordinator at the Farmington Public Library. She is also a Día Dynamo . Flo, thank you for your support of El día de los niños/El día de los libros, Children's Day/Book Day!


Flo Truillo
The annual Día celebration at the Farmington Public Library will kick off with registration for “Dream Big” summer reading! Día provides a wonderful opportunity for parents to promote the power of books and reading to their own children. Every day of the year can be “Día,” a day for linking all children and books!


The free celebration is from 4-6pm during the afterschool hours with the themes “Let's Move,” America’s Move to Raise a Healthier Generation of Kids, and “Dream Big," the 2012 national summer reading program. Participants can enjoy a healthy snack (watch “A Spoon for Every Bite”) and check out a kid’s cookbook from the display, so bring your library card! More fun: Yo-yo entertainment, hands-on crafts, and two family gaming challenges in the multipurpose room; Skillastics, hula hoop, hopscotch; and outdoor library walking tours every 30 minutes! Visit with Madison from Peach’s Neet Feet! The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds and families can enjoy the puppet show Tikki Tikki Tembo in the Story Time room!

Mayor Tommy Roberts has issued a proclamation for April 30, 2012 as “El Día de los niños/ El día de los libros” in Farmington, NM, and urges all citizens to participate in the celebration of the potential of our children, and the role libraries play in the cultivation of that potential.


In Albuquerque, Día will be a part of Afterschool Programming at Whittier Elementary School. The Afterschool program participants will watch fellow students present about countries around the world. Also, the Albuquerque Bernalillo County Library System/Lomas Tramway will present an interactive program for young children with storyteller Ramona King, Knee High Tales for Me. The Rio Grande Education Collaborative Afterschool Program at 12 sites will distribute free books to all students for Dia celebration that will include storytelling, art and a nutritional snack. University of New Mexico Libraries will feature Arabic, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Portuguese, Russian, Serbo Croatian, Spanish, Tagalog, Ukrainian, Vietnamese displays of multicultural children's books & artifacts of childhood, coloring & activity sheets, information for the College of Education community, etc. beginning April 23 through May 5.


The celebrations continue in other New Mexico locations:

Las Cruces: Thomas Branigan Memorial Library will have an author visit with Joe Hayes. Joe will read from his books. Free books will be given to each child and Joe will sign the books at the end of the program.

Rancho de Taos: UNM Taos Students and Taos High School students will present original theater skits to the 4th grade class at Enos Elementary. Fourth grade students will have the opportunity to share stories they have written. Parents and family members are invited to the performance and to see the display of multi-cultural books and resources. Program is facilitated by UNM-Taos Library.

Shiprock: Shiprock Branch Library will offer Navajo language story times and family Wii Gaming on April 30 throughout the day.

Día Celebrations in Austin and Providence

We have two guest posts today about El día de los niños, El día de los libros/ Children’s Day, Book Day (Día) activities in Texas and Rhode Island. Our first guest blogger is R. Joseph Rodriguez, Ph.D., Center for Teaching and Learning at the University of Texas at Austin. Following Joseph is Carolina Briones, Latino Program Coordinator, Providence Community Library (RI.) Thank you both for contributing to our Díapalooza!

Joseph Rodriguez
In collaboration with Austin Public Library (Ruiz Branch) and Volunteers In Communities Tutoring Our Responsible Youth (VICTORY), the literacy partnership Libre con Libros has secured more than 300 books for distribution at the Ruiz Branch on Monday afternoon, April 30, 2012.

Youth enrolled in the program VICTORY and ranging from newborn to young adult will receive complimentary books (while supplies last) to build home libraries and foster the joy of reading and achievement. Storytelling and writing opportunities will be scheduled to advance the program El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day).

Help us spread bookjoy and the power and pleasure of world languages and literacies! ¡Adelante!


Events at the Austin Public Library include:
Create your own Austin Family Memory Book with help from APL and Austin History Center professionalsBallet Folklórico MexikayotlStorytimeHands on Science (Cat in the Hat & Martha will walk around science centers) PBS KIDS GO! Writers Contest Celebration (The public will be able to see and hear the winning entries and may ask questions of the young writers
Carolina BrionesThe Providence Community Library has fliers in both English and Spanish announcing "Come and have fun at this annual event where we celebrate childhood, culture and the love of books." Attendees can see guest author Mabel Mendoza. Other activities include arts & crafts, dance, refreshments, a kids raffle, and a music concert for kids.

Mora Award Winning Libraries

Today we celebrate the 17 Mora Award Winning Libraries. Big cheers to them! As many of you know, my family and I established the Estela and Raúl Mora Award in 2000 to honor our parents and to motivate libraries, schools, and educational institutions to plan annual Día celebrations in April. Día is a daily commitment, but since we all enjoy celebrations (Mother's Day, Father's Day, etc.), we like to plan book fiestas celebrating kids too.

2011 Award
The Santa Ana Public Library (CA)
Springfield Public Library (OR)

2010 Award
The Arthur F. Turner Community Library of Yolo County (West Sacramento, CA)
Pima County Public Library (Tucson, AZ)
Santa Barbara Public Library System (CA)

2009 Award
San Francisco Public Library (CA)
Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library (KS)

2008 Award
Riverside County Library System (CA)
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (NC)

2007 Award
Broward County Library (FL)

2006 Award
Kenton County Public Library (KY)

2005 Award
REFORMA de Utah

2004 Award
Providence Public Library (RI)

2003 Award
Corvallis-Benton County Public Library (OR)

2002 Award
Multnomah County Library (WA)

2001 Award
El Paso Public Library (TX)

2000 Award
Austin Public Library (TX)

(Links to individual libraries Día pages are here.)

Thanks to all of you who are planning, participating in or supporting Día celebrations this month. Let's all share bookjoy !

Your library could be the 2012 Mora Award winner!
(Application Guidelines)

Celebrating Día in Riverside County

Thank you to today's guest blogger Maggie Gutierrez, Latino Outreach Coordinator at Riverside County Library System (CA.) 

Throughout the month of April, Riverside County Library System will present it's ninth annual celebration of Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros (Day of the child/Day of the book), a series of special events honoring books, libraries, and reading for children. All of our libraries will offer a variety of programming for children and adults, including author appearances, bilingual story times, crafts, games, and music. We enjoy bringing a joyful experience to our children and their families by incorporating the importance of literacy to each and everyone of our libraries. this year we have two award winning bilingual children's authors visiting seven of our libraries Renê Colato Lainez and Amy Costales.


Fun Fun month for everyone in April, include Mariachi Magic Show, Ballet Folklorico, multicultural theme story times, face painting of your favorite book character, book give aways, bilingual entertainers, food/refreshments, reading hint tools/skills to parents on how to motivate their children to read, and much much more!

 Author Amy Costales and friends

Díapalooza Giveaways

The winners of book sets are Maureen in California and Susan, also in California! Thanks to everyone who entered.

More chances to win a set of children's books!
Each set will include 3-4 new children's books and a signed copy of one of Pat's titles. To enter, comment on this post or any Díapalooza post and include an email address (formatted like pat at patmora dot com.) Or send an email directly to lcashin at patmora dot com with Díapalooza Book Giveaway in the subject line. U. S. only please. Deadline is each Friday during April (4.13, 4.20, and 4.27) midnight EST. There will be 2 random drawings each Friday.

Uma Krishnaswami reads for Día

Throughout this month's Díapalooza we're showing brief videos of some of the Día Author and Illustrator Ambassadors reading aloud. They've created these videos especially for Díapalooza. Today Uma Krishnaswami reads from her new book Out of the Way! Out of the Way!



Uma, thank you for your support of Día and for being a Día Author and Illustrator Ambassador!

Día Advocates A - ZING!

I enjoyed creating a Día alphabet for all the dedicated Día advocates hosting Día celebrations this month. I chose 26 nouns that matter to our Día National Community. Below is a sneak peek. At the end of the month, we'll post the complete alphabet as a designed poster, ready to download, print, display on your bulletin board or wall. It will also be fun to share.


Advocacy--for us, sharing bookjoy--is hard work that requires dogged persistence. Advocacy with energetic and creative partners is also fun. We reap surprising rewards. I hope that when you see the finished alphabet and read its words, you'll smile and feel part of our growing national community taking continued action in support of El día de los niños, el día de los libros/Children's Day, Book Day.

A  Advocacy

B  Bookjoy
C  Community
D  Diversity
E  Energy
F  Family
G  Goals 
H  Humor
I  Innovation