Pat Mora, illustrated by Rafael López,
Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day:Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros
Rayo/HarperCollins, 2009.

Ages 4-8

Award-winning writer and literacy advocate Pat Mora, founder of El día de los niños/El día de los libros / Children’s Day/Book Day, has infused her latest offering with enough bookjoy to go around the globe!

Dedicated to the members of REFORMA and ALSC, “who connect children and books,” Book Fiesta! is a bilingual homage to the importance of reading and books in children’s lives.

Rafael López’s unforgettable illustrations are a fiesta rich in colors and pizzaz. They show children, adults and even animals reading everywhere -up in a hot air balloon, inside a whale’s mouth, in a submarine, on top of an elephant; and perfectly bring to life the book’s core message of “books anywhere, anytime.”

"We read in English and Spanish,
In Chinese and Navajo too.
We read by ourselves,
we read with a friend,
and at the library too."

The book includes a letter from the author about why she founded El día de los niños/ El día de los libros, and suggestions for celebrating the occasion creatively and with gusto.

Budding book lovers will delight in this upbeat and celebratory offering!

Warning to parents and caregivers: this book may inspire children to read in the bathtub.

A portion of the proceeds from Book Fiesta! will be donated to literacy initiatives related to El día de los niños/ El día de los libros.

Aline Pereira
October 2009