Sharing "Bookjoy" through Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros

This past weekend, we hosted children’s author Amada Irma Perez in three of our libraries as part of our Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros (Day of the Child/Day of the Book) celebration.
 
 
Every year since 2003, the Riverside County Library System has observed this important celebration of books and reading for children.  In the first year, only six of our locations celebrated “Día.”  By last year, that had grown to celebrations in all 33 branches of the Riverside County Library.  Every year we have an author come and do programs in some of our libraries and that list of visitors has been a who’s who of notable children’s authors, including Pat Mora, Juan Felipe Herrera, Lulu Delacre, Francisco X. Alarcón, Jorge Argueta, and many others.  This year, we were pleased that Amada Irma Perez—author of “My Very Own Room-Mi propio cuartito,” “Nana’s Big Surprise-Nana, Que sorpresa!” and “My Diary from Here to There-Mi diario de aqui hasta alla”—visit the La Quinta, Mecca and Cathedral City Libraries on Saturday, April 18.  But if you missed the author, don’t worry: all of our other libraries are hosting a huge range of programs from bilingual story hours to craft times to cultural programs.  Please consult our online calendar on this website for information about Día programs throughout Riverside County.
 
Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros is a national celebration of the power of books and reading to change young lives.  Fifteen years ago, the author Pat Mora (a two-time Día presenter in RCLS) was instrumental in founding Día as an event observed by libraries and schools.   Pat’s web site at www.patmora.com is full of great information about how to—as Pat puts it—“share bookjoy.”  Several years ago—partly at the suggestion of staff of the Riverside County Library System—the California State Library began promoting Día de los Niños and you can find more information at the State Library’s Día site: http://www.diacalifornia.org/ .
 
We hope that you parents and families will visit the library for one of our Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros programs.  It is a wonderful way to introduce your children, encourage them to read more, and to “share bookjoy” in your home and community.