Pat Mora's Blog, page 88

Publishers Support Dia

We thank the many publishers who sent their good wishes for Día and contributed images and links about their diversity books. We hope to see growing support for Día from the publishing community.

Candlewick supports Dia's goals of linking all children to books, languages and cultures by publishing books like Roberto's Trip to the Top.

Here are some links to downloadable material such as activity and discussion guides and posters for a few Charlesbridge books that we think would be a good addit...

Pat Speaks in Las Vegas & Writes About Día States

Over a thousand visitors since April 1 at our first Díapalooza! Wow! Laurina Cashin who is coordinating this project and I are really smiling. I smiled lots this month as I participated in Día events in Galveston, Corpus Christi, Las Vegas, Nevada, and when I chatted about Día with dedicated librarians at the Texas Library Association (TLA). In Corpus Christi, I had the honor of reading from my work for adults at the Texas A & M English Department and of speaking about Sharing Bookjoy (and Dí...

Literacy Quote of the Week

"Many things we need can wait. The child cannot. Now is the time his bones are formed, his mind developed. To him we cannot say tomorrow, his name is today."

                                                  — Gabriela Mistral

Día Wordle

This was fun to make! Create your own Día word cloud at the Wordle website.

Charlotte Mecklenburg Celebrates Día

This year the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library celebrates Día with author/illustrator Keiko Kasza. There'll be readings and signings, roving performers, theatre and puppets, books and music, and a book give-away.


These pictures represent the last three Día celebrations at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library (formally Public Library of Charlotte and Mecklenburg County.) You can see more on the library's Flickr site.




Thanks to our guest blogger Meryle A. Leonard, Outreach Manager/ Community Engagement...

Día in Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor

For the last three years we have partnered with the Ann Arbor District Library and alternated sites. This year's event will be Sunday, April 25 from 1:30-4:30 pm at the downtown library in Ann Arbor. The program will feature Mariachi Mexico 2000 and Xitlalic, a traditional folk dance troupe.

I am including our "passport" for the event. Kids will move around the library participating in the various activities. At most stations there will be stamps for their passport. No prizes, just keeping tr...

TLA Supports Día

El Día de los niños, El Día de los libros really embodies all of things libraries stand for: literacy, diversity, sharing, and a celebration of learning. The fact that Día reaches out to children and families makes it a powerful framework for advancing education while promoting a love of the wonderful languages and cultures that make us – and our communities – vital and unique.

In Texas, we heartily encourage all of our libraries to participate in this important event and to celebrate multicul...

Honoring the Desert on Earth Day

Even though only one day a year is designated as Earth Day and only one is designated as El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros, parents and educators know that books, reading, and our planet's resources should be celebrated every day. On this Earth Day, read Pat Mora's The Desert Is My Mother/El desierto es mi madre to combine celebrating the Earth with reading to your children!


The first picture book ever published by Arte Público Press'  imprint for children and young adults, Piñata Books...

Día and Colorín Colorado

I hadn't heard of Día until I came to Colorín Colorado, but I quickly found that one of my favorite parts of the job was to learn more about multicultural children's books and the work of authors like Pat Mora. One of the early things I did as a website manager was to update our Día resources, which gave me a great introduction to the celebration.
Every year I track Día events around the country through news stories; it has been wonderful to see Día spread like wildfire as more communities be...

Día in Wylie Texas

We have a new tradition here at Smith Public Library in Wylie which is to celebrate Día de los ninos with dance! For the last 2 years we have had the pleasure of welcoming Mexico 2000 Ballet Folklorico into our library and they put on a show right in the middle of the children's area. They come lay down a special floor and we pack in around 100 people to watch. The audience not only learns about the various dances in each region of Mexico, but the different yells and "gritos" that go with the...