Cuentecitos

You may or may not be aware of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Book Day/Children’s Day). If you’re Latino, it may remind you of El día del niño that is celebrated in your country of origin. That’s what it reminded me of when I first learned about it. The difference between that “día” and this one; is that this one is meant to celebrate not only children, but children AND books! Founded by author Pat Mora, and now housed at the American Library Association (ALSC),

El día de los niños gives us all a wonderful excuse to promote Latino literacy and Latino books on April 30th! You can get more information on this wonderful celebration here.

If you’re an author, go to your local library or bookstore and encourage them to celebrate El día de los niños; offer to do a reading or somehow participate in the event to make it more enticing. It will further not only the celebration, but Latino books and literacy as a whole. Take part in this, it is only getting bigger.

This year is filled with new developments surrounding “Día,” as it is commonly called. The American Association of Publisher’s PLVA (Publishing Latino Voices for America) Committee and ALSC have partnered to create the first ever El día de los niños/El día de los libros list of recommended titles to be distributed to all of AAP’s outlets. These include AAP’s mailing lists and conferences. Here’s a link to the list. The list is a result of a collaboration among publishers to make it easier for libraries, booksellers, and everyone else interested in Latino books to find exactly what they need for their Día celebrations on April 30th, and throughout the rest of the year. Tell your colleagues and everyone you know about it, and hopefully we can have another one next year!

To celebrate Día, Rayo is also producing its yearly El día de los niños/El día de los libros poster. The poster is distributed at conferences to increase awareness of Día, and to provide librarians and booksellers with materials to celebrate and advertise Día at their libraries and bookstores.

One of Rayo’s own authors, Univision Radio’s Dra. Isabel, will also be participating in a Día event at New York City’s Jackson Heights public library. We hope that event, and the author’s celebrity, will increase awareness of Día’s even more.

These are all exciting developments that serve to further Latino children’s publishing as a whole. It is a pleasure to witness Día’s growth each year, so I ask you to join me in celebrating it in any way you can, and by spreading the word. ¡Feliz día de los niños y los libros!

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