Did you know that April 30th is the 15th anniversary of Children's Day / Book Day, also known as Dia? According to ALSC (
What's ALSC?),
"Children's Day/Book Day, also known as El dia de los niños / El da de los libros (Dia), is a celebration of children, families, and reading held annually on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds."
Download the
Dia! reading list of children's books for recommended books in Afghani, English, French, Hindi, Michif, Russian, Spanish, Swahili and Vietnamese. I also have a special picture book to recommend:
Book Fiesta! by children's book author and Dia founder Pat Mora. The full title of the book is
Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children's Day / Book Day - Celebremos El dia de los niños / El da de los libros, and this bilingual picture book is indeed a celebration. Rafael López, the illustrator of
Book Fiesta! received a
Pura Belpré Award for the book's festive illustrations, the
2010 Pura Belpré Illustrator Award.
Book Fiesta! is a celebration of the joy of reading for children of all cultures and languages. I think that
Book Fiesta! has a much broader appeal than just as a book for Dia. It's a children's picture book that many 3- to 6-year-olds will enjoy any time. It's hard to resist a book that is so joyful.
(Cover art courtesy of HarperCollins)
