El día de los niños/El día de los libros – Children’s Day/Book Day

El día de los niños/El día de los libros, or Children’s Day/Book Day, is a celebration of children, families, and reading that promotes literacy for all. This yearlong event is celebrated on April 30, so there’s still plenty of time to prepare and join in the fun! Author Pat Mora added the festival of El día de los libros to the traditional Mexican Children’s Day in 1997 as a “commitment to linking children and their families to diverse books, languages and cultures.” The goal is to unite communities through literacy and reading. The books listed below are united in their emphasis on the power of books and libraries to make a difference in people’s lives.

El día de los niños/El día de los libros es una celebración de niños, familias y lectura que promueve la alfabetización para todos. ¡Este evento se celebra el 30 de abril, por lo tanto, todavía hay mucho tiempo para prepararse y unirse a la diversión! La autora Pat Mora añadió el festival de El día de los libros al tradicional El día de los niños de México en 1997 como un “compromiso de vincular a los niños y sus familias a diversos los libros, idiomas y culturas.” El objetivo es unir las comunidades a través de la alfabetización y la lectura. Los libros en esta lista están unidos en su énfasis en el poder de los libros y las bibliotecas para hacer una diferencia en las vidas de las personas.

For more information, please visit the Día website/Para más información, por favor visite el sitio web de Día: http://dia.ala.org/content/about-día

To find more books celebrating kids reading, try searching the catalog using a combination of subject terms like “juvenile fiction” for fiction books or “juvenile literature” for nonfiction books along with “book,” “read,” and “library.” Happy reading! ¡Feliz lectura!

Barton, Chris
Book or Bell? 2017 (picture book)
Henry is reading the best book he’s every read, maybe the best book ever, and he can’t wait to finish it! Then the bell rings, and he’ll have to save the rest for later…unless he just stays put. This chuckle-inducing tale about the mesmerizing power of a book will have kids laughing at the increasing antics of the adults in charge to get Henry to stop reading and adults smiling knowingly.
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. SE. B2854b]

Brown, Monica
Waiting for the Biblioburro. 2011 (picture book)
One day, Ana realizes that she has read all the books in her small village. Soon, she sees the most magical sight – there’s two burros carrying a library on their backs! The librarian (Luis Soriano in real life) has not only come to bring the stories found in the books, but also to inspire Ana to keep creating her own. The Biblioburro travels throughout Colombia bringing the library to the people in small villages and supporting literacy, and children will be fascinated with this kind of library they’ve never heard of before.
[SSHEL S-Collection SE. B8146w]

Chapin, Tom
The Library Book. 2017 (picture book)
Based on a song written by Tom Chapin and Michael Mark, this is the story of a young girl who goes to the library on a rainy day. Kids will love trying to guess which of their favorite characters she will meet next, like folktale classic Cinderella or the beloved bear Winnie the Pooh. This is a celebration of children’s literature and the way that the world expands for kids when they read.
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. SE. C3656l]

Gonzalez, Lucia M.
The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos. 2008 (picture book)
In this side-by-side bilingual Spanish and English picture book about New York librarian Pura Belpré, Hildamar and Santiago have just moved from Puerto Rico. Feeling lost in the Big Apple, they are soon introduced to the magic of the library by storyteller Pura Belpré. The collage-like illustrations bring to a life a true story about how a librarian brought a community together just when they needed it the most.
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. SE. G5896s]

Gourley, Catherine
Journeys: Young Readers’ Letters to Authors Who Changed Their Lives. 2017 (nonfiction)
This heartwarming and hopeful collection of letters provides ample evidence of the inspiring and healing power of books. Children have written to authors about the books that changed the way they see the world, and they just might change your point of view too. Be prepared to add a lot of books to your to-read list!
[SSHEL S-Collection S.810.8 J8269]

Grabenstein, Chris
Escape from Mr. Lemoncello’s Library. 2013 (chapter book)
Kyle Keeley loves all games, and the eccentric genius gamemaker Luigi Lemoncello (reminiscent of Willy Wonka) has rebuilt the town library, pulling out all the stops and whistles. For the grand opening, Kyle and 11 other kids are soon thrust into a frantic race to solve the clues and untangle riddles in order to escape the locked library. Grabenstein’s love of the library is evident, and kids will enjoy playing the games along with the characters.
[SSHEL S-Collection S. G7512e]

Hopkins, Lee Bennett
Jumping Off Library Shelves: A Book of Poems. 2015 (poetry)
This enchanting book invites children to experience the magic of words as they read poems about books, stories, and reading. The watercolor illustrations are captivating and stimulate the imagination, adding to the poetry. Each entry has a different voice, and readers will love to peruse this collection. Maybe they’ll even be inspired to write a few poems of their own!
[SSHEL S-Collection Q. S.808.81 J951]

King, M.G.
Librarian on the Roof!: A True Story. 2010 (nonfiction picture book)
Librarian RoseAleta Laurell revitalized the Dr. Eugene Clark Library in Lockhart, Texas, updating the collections and technology, restoring the building, and acquiring resources for the Spanish-speaking population; she made it a place that people wanted to be. However, something was still missing – the kids! So she stayed 50 feet in the air on the roof of the library in order to raise money for a children’s section designed just for them. Children will love reading about her harrowing adventures on the roof to buy books and create a place in the library for kids like them.
[SSHEL S-Collection S.027.476433 K585l]

Mora, Pat.
Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day; Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros. 2009 (picture book)
Filled with full-page, entrancing, and colorful illustrations, this book really is a fiesta! The act of reading, children, and families are celebrated, and kids read anything, with anyone, anywhere: to puppies, in trains, floating in a hot-air balloon, and more. The side-by-side Spanish and English bilingual text highlights the history of El día de los niños/El día de los libros and more information about how you can celebrate this holiday is included at the end.
[SSHEL S-Collection SE. M79b]

Pinbourough, Jan
Miss Moore Thought Otherwise: How Anne Carroll Moore Created Libraries for Children. 2013. (picture book)
Beautiful illustrations depict the life of Anne Carroll Moore, the woman who created the first children’s room at the New York Public Library. Simple text with the refrain of “but Miss Moore thought otherwise” will keep young readers involved, and the celebration of reading is inspiring to see. Her passion for books, libraries, and children shines through, and more information about Moore is included at the end.
[Center for Children’s Books (non-circulating) SB. M8216p]