Día de los Niños/Día de los Líbros
by Cassandra Yardeni
In 1996, El Paso native and renowned children’s book author Pat Mora became inspired. After learning about Latin America’s El Dia del Nino (Children’s Day), the mother of three decided there should be a day to honor children in the US as well. Mora, a known literacy advocate, aimed to incorporate the importance of books and reading with a nationwide celebration for children.
Mora wrote an open letter to educators and librarians throughout the country, asking for their help to christen April 30 El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Líbros (Children’s Day, Book Day). The plan was to try and instill in children interest and appreciation for reading.
The idea was a hit and today, the last Saturday in April sees hundreds of Día de los Niños/Día de los Líbros celebrations around the US. From Lake Geneva, Wis. to Raleigh, N.C. to Austin, TX, children around the country take part in the daylong festivity and take home armloads of good reads.
The Sun City’s celebration is one of the most impressive in the nation, drawing upwards of 30,000 attendees and giving away up to 15,000 books each year. For the past 11 years, the El Paso Public Library in conjunction with the city’s Parks and Recreation Department have organized a citywide celebration that “encourage[s] the love of reading regardless of linguistic and cultural background,” says Martha Toscano, Literacy Coordinator for the El Paso Public Library.
“The annual Día de los Niños/ Día de los Líbros event is a bilingual celebration of children, families, culture, and reading. Through literacy events and programs like Día, the El Paso Public Library is working with parents and caregivers to raise avid readers and to promote literacy. [It] is the single largest literacy festival in the city of El Paso…[and] with the financial help of our sponsors, the El Paso Public Library is committed to continue this long-standing tradition for years to come,” she adds.
The event is sponsored by such local businesses as Aliviane, Blue Cross Blue Shield, the Child Crisis Center and the El Paso Zoo.
Children, families and reading enthusiasts are invited to enjoy free game and activity booths, live bands and a “Healthy Hearts with Parks” fun walk. Local children will take to the stage throughout the day and food and drinks will be available for purchase.
And although jumping dragons and stage performers are certainly enough fun to draw throngs of children, the highlight of the event will take place in the Reading Tent. Children will enjoy book readings as well as the freedom to choose from a wide variety of books to take home.
“The most important aspect of the event relating to books is that each child in attendance will get to choose a new age-appropriate book,” says Mora of the book distribution.
Over the past decade, Mora’s vision of Día de los Niños/ Día de los Líbros has come to fruition, offering the gift of reading to hundreds of thousands of children nationwide. As reflected in their mission statement, “The El Paso Public Library is committed to serving our diverse community through information access, cultural enrichment and life-long learning” and the annual festival does just that.
For those under 18 years of age, Sun Metro will provide free transportation to and from the event, from anywhere in the city.
Día de los Niños/ Día de los Líbros will take place on Sat., Apr. 28, 2008 at Washington Park, behind the El Paso Zoo. The event is scheduled from 11 a.m. – 6 p.m.
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