Día de los niños/Día de los libros

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Originally celebrated in Mexico as a day honoring children, Día de los niños was co-opted by Pat Mora (Latina author of children's classics like Tomás and the Library Lady) and REFORMA, in 1997 as a celebration of children's literacy. In 2001 the ALA and the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC) came on board, and by 2004 the celebration had become well-established across the country. While related literacy programming can be held year-round (“Día! Today and Every Day of the Year" is a slogan of the event), the celebration is meant to culminate on April 30th of each year, when libraries across the country plan fun-filled events for local children including book giveaways, crafts, music and dance performances, storytelling, food, and general outdoor fun.
According to the ALA fact sheet about Día (as it is commonly known), the event is meant to:

• Connect children to the educational possibilities of books and libraries.
• Cultivate literacy in a way that respects and honors a child's home language and culture.
• Increase family literacy efforts.
• Respect the diverse cultures and heritages of our communities.

One of the first celebrations was held in El Paso, as I mentioned in my previous blog post.  The librarian planning the event expected around 50 children, but 300 children and families showed up; since then, the event has grown into one of the nation's largest, with hundreds of local organizations now involved in the celebration. They have given away over 150,000 books over the years!

ALA has created a great website for the event with a wealth of resources for libraries planning their own events.  You can register your event through the website to receive promotional materials and have your celebration featured on their interactive map.

I especially like the idea of hosting a Día because the celebration stretches way beyond just the Spanish-speaking children in your user population.  Not only can it be used to promote children's literacy in general, but also to celebrate the diversity of your library's community, teaching children the importance of respecting other cultures.  A win-win!