Every year on April 30, libraries, schools, parks and community organizations across the country celebrate El dÃa de los niños, El dÃa de los libros (Children’s Day / Book Day). This year is no exception as El dÃa de los niños, El dÃa de los libros, also known as DÃa, celebrates its 25e birthday.
Designed in 1996, DÃa is the brainchild of famous children’s book author Pat Mora. The idea came to him after learning the annual Mexican tradition of celebrating El dÃa del niño (Child’s Day). El dÃa del niño is the continuation of the first “World Conference for the Welfare of Children†held in Switzerland in 1925.
In an interview in 1996, Mora said, “As a mother, I knew children often ask, ‘Why do we have Mother’s Day and Father’s Day and not Children’s Day? As a reader, I wanted (and want) to foster the joy of the book. Ah ha, I thought. What if we link a celebration of children to literacy, a central issue for children’s well-being? “
Despite the fact that this year’s anniversary celebrations may be altered to comply with social distancing guidelines, Pat Mora remains optimistic that schools and families will find creative ways to commemorate the occasion.
“While this is a difficult year for the world and our country, I have no doubts that families, schools, libraries and literacy organizations will generously and creatively inspire our children to become readers. An easy April 30e The celebration idea is Triple Treat for the 25th: get our kids to read a book, draw a poster and enjoy a treat, â€says Mora.
For teachers and librarians interested in designing a DÃa program for their students, the Dollar General Literacy Foundation has published a downloadable resource guide at http://dia.ala.org/sites/default/files/resources/DiaResourceGuide.pdf.
In addition, several organizations, including the Black Caucus of the American Library Association and the Asian Pacific American Librarians Association, have published a toolkit for children and families. The DÃa Family Book Club downloadable toolkit is available at http://dia.ala.org/sites/default/files/resources/Dia13_Toolkit_print_0%20%281%29_0.pdf.
For more information on Dia, visit https://www.patmora.com/whats-childrens-day-book-day/.
