Publishers, Booksellers, Librarians Partner to Kick Off Latino Books Month

Celebrations featuring beloved radio personalities, bestselling authors and scholars, parents, educators, librarians and children nationwide focus attention on literacy in both English and Spanish.

El dia de los ninos/El dia de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), known as Dia, is a year-round celebration that is officially recognized annually on April 30. Founded by children's book author Pat Mora in 1996 and administered by the Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC), the day highlights the importance of literacy among children of all ages and of every cultural and linguistic background. The celebration culminates on April 30 with a range of festivities across the U.S., and serves to kick off Latino Books Month in May. These events also support the national Get Caught Reading!/Aja! Leyendo public awareness literacy campaign, which features public figures getting "caught" reading their favorite books in both English and Spanish.

The Association of American Publishers has teamed with ALSC to present a recommended reading list of children's books published by AAP members, intended to foster "bookjoy" and encourage families to read together on April 30, and every day. Books on the list include those in English and in Spanish as well as bilingual titles, nonfiction, picture books, and novels, all celebrating Latino culture and Latin American identity.

April 30 Dia Events in Miami and New York: Great for Live Broadcast Shots or Media Interviews!

New York City Hosts Univision's Dra. Isabel: Wednesday, April 30
5:30 - 6:30 pm Queens Public Library, Jackson Heights Branch, 35-51 81st Street. Beloved Univision radio personality Dra. Isabel, reads in Spanish to children from her children's book, La cancion de Gabriela: Como me adapto a un lugar nuevo? (Gabriela's Song: How Do I Adapt to a New Place?) published by Rayo/HarperCollins Publishers. The book features a little girl named Gabriela, who shares her fears about her family's move to a new country, the United States, and teaches young readers how to deal with their own feelings. At 6 pm Dra. Isabel reads to parents from her adult title, Los 7 pasos para ser mas feliz: Como liberarte del estres, las preocupaciones y las angustias del pasado, published by Vintage Espanol. The program will offer advice on developing healthy relationships, preparing a path to success, and finding true happiness. This appearance follows her educational panel earlier in the day at the offices of children's book publisher Scholastic to volunteers from Learning Leaders, a nonprofit organization that provides education to tutors supporting over 960 public schools throughout the five boroughs of New York City.

Miami, Florida's Books & Books Hosts Children's Reading: Wednesday, April 30
4 pm - 6:30 pm Books & Books, 265 Eragon Avenue, Miami, FL. Recognized as one of the nation's leading bookstores in offerings of books in Spanish and English nationwide, Books & Books plans to support El dia de los ninos by hosting third-graders from Coral Way K-8 Center, the nation's first dual language school, who will kick off the afternoon by reciting classic Spanish poems at 4 pm. Following, Dr. Barbara Zurer Pearson, Ph.D., will give a presentation on raising bilingual children and provide insights to an audience of eager parents from her book Raising a Bilingual Child, published by Random House. To close, a middle school theater troupe from Coral Way will perform their play, "Pueblo de las mujeres" by Hermanos Alvarez Quintero, in the courtyard.

To learn more about Dia, please visit http://www.ala.org/dia