Today, and every day of the year! April 30 marks a special day in the lives of children. April 30 is El día de los niños/El día de los libros or Children’s Day/Book Day, known as ‘Día’
El día de los niños/ El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day) has been observed annually on April 30th since 1997. It is a day created by librarians and educators as a celebration of childhood and bilingual literacy. It emphasizes the importance of advocating literacy for every child regardless of linguistic and cultural background. The celebration is cross-cultural and intergenerational. In the words of one of the founders of El día de los niños/ El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), author Pat Mora: "April 30th has become a day for remembering the power of words and books in the lives of our young people and for honoring all the languages spoken in the homes of this country. One in five of our school children comes from a home in which a language other than English is spoken. By honoring these languages, we celebrate our linguistic and cultural wealth."
As celebrated by libraries and librarians, Día is an enhancement of Children’s Day, a celebration which took hold in 1925 following the World Conference for the Well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland as a day to bring attention to the importance and well-being of children. Each country selected its own day for the celebration with Mexico and many other Latin American countries choosing April 30.
Eager to point out that the importance of literacy, books and reading should not be relegated to a single day, promoters of Día adopted the motto “Día! Today and Every Day of the Year.” The celebration has grown up around the April 30 events, with many libraries conducting programs and events for much of April and May, as well as throughout the year.
You can learn more about how to celebrate Dia! at www.dia.ala.org
