Día Means Diversity in Action in 2017

Authored by Gavin McGuire on April 20, 2017

Posted in: For Educators, Inside First Book Canada

Children’s Day, Book Day/El Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros (known as Día) is the annual celebration of bookjoy created by children’s book author Pat Mora. The nationally recognized initiative emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children, from all backgrounds and creatively links them to the gift of reading.

Watch Pat tell the story of Día and what bookjoy means to her:

Hundreds of celebrations of “bookjoy” are held in libraries, schools, educational institutions, youth-serving organizations and homes across the country culminate in April, and we here at First Book are so proud to hear about so many of them as judges for The Estela and Raúl Mora Award – an honor established by Pat and her siblings in honor of their parents.

Last year’s winner was Sonia M. Sotomayor Early College High School’s special purpose program committed to teen mothers’ success. They celebrated Día by hosting a full week of family-oriented bilingual and multicultural activities. The week focused on preparing teen mothers for success in motherhood, literacy for children, culturally diverse learning resources, and the role of mothers in children’s early cognitive and literacy development. Activities provided students with research-based methods of introducing their children to reading and each student received a free children’s book.

In 2017 the Mora Award will be a $1,000 First Book Marketplace credit and a plaque to be displayed in a public area by the winning institution, plus two honor awards of $500 in First Book Marketplace credits.

While the joy of reading can be celebrated with kids all year, Día is traditionally celebrated in April, so the deadline for the Mora Award application is in May. If you want to join in on the Dia fun, but are short on time, our First Book Time Saver Día guide makes planning a fun and engaging Día celebration simple and easy (click here to download the PDF of our guide)!

We can’t wait to see how communities across the country celebrate Diversity In Action this year.

Don’t delay, plan your Dia celebration, today!

Dia Celebration Resources:

Click here to visit First Book’s Celebrate Día page on the First Book Marketplace for book recommendations, celebration tips, and guides.

Click here for The Estela and Raúl Mora Award applications guidelines.