Children’s Day/Book Day, also known as El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Día), is a celebration of children, families, and reading held annually in the USA on April 30. The celebration emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Founded by author Pat Mora in 1996, Día is now hosted by the Association for Library Service for Children (ALSC) along with founding partner REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking.

Visit the ALSC’s  Día Celebrations website to see what is planned this year. You can register your library’s Día program, print brochures, use the interactive map to see what other communities are doing to celebrate as well as access the updated list of books and list of Web sites for Día 2010.

Other great ways to get into the Día spirit are to visit Pat Mora’s blog Bookjoy! and also to read Pat’s book Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children’s Day/Book Day: Celebremos El día de los niños/El día de los libros. Illustrated by Rafael López and dedicated to the members of REFORMA and ALSC, “who connect children and books,” Book Fiesta! is a vibrant bilingual homage to the importance of reading and books in children’s lives. The book includes a letter from Pat about why she founded El día de los niños/ El día de los libros, and suggestions for celebrating the occasion creatively and with gusto. Read PaperTigers’ review of Book Fiesta here.

Interested in learning how you can get a Día celebration organized in your community? Click here for information on upcoming educational sessions such as the one to be held June 28, 2010, during the ALA Annual Conference in Washington, D.C. entitled “Día is Diversity in Action”.

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National Poetry Month~ Canada and USA

Growing Up Asian in America Art and Essay Contest Winners Announced~ San Francisco, CA, USA

Exclusive Books Children’s Book Festival~ ongoing until Apr 4, South Africa

Toronto Festival of Storytelling~ongoing until Apr 5, Toronto, ON, Canada

7th Bangkok International Book Fair & 37th National Book Fair~ ongoing until Apr 6, Bangkok, Thailand

20th Annual Children’s Book Illustrator Exhibit~ ongoing until Apr 18, Hayward, CA, USA

Bologna Children’s Book Fair Events in the City~ ongoing until April 30, Bologna, Italy

Discovering Ethnic Minorities – Storytelling Workshops for Children~ ongoing until May 31, Hong Kong

Exhibition of Prize Winning Works of 16th Noma Concours (2008) “Palette of Dream Colours IV”~ ongoing until Jul 5, Tokyo, Japan

Fay B. Kaigler Children’s Book Festival~ Apr 1 – 3, Hattiesburg, MS, USA

Ethiopian Children’s Book Week~ Apr 1 – 7, Ethiopia

International Children’s Book Day~ Apr 2

Desi Teens and Muslim Migration: Personal Journeys from the Asian Diaspora~ Apr 2, New York, NY, USA

25th Annual Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Children and Young Adults~ Apr 2 – 3, Kent, OH, USA

Conference: What’s New in Children’s Books~ Apr 4, Boston, MA, USA

Young Poets Week~ Apr 6 – 12, Canada

Children’s and Young Adult Literature Festival: Read Green~ Apr 15 – 16, Salisbury, MD, USA

National Library Week: Worlds connect @ Your Library~ Apr 12 – 18, USA

15th Annual Border Book Festival~ Apr 17 – 19, Mesilla, NM, USA

Beatrix Potter Conference~ Apr 17 – 19, Fresno, CA, USA

15th Celebration of Children’s Literature~ Apr 18, Berkeley, CA, USA

Congreso Iberoamericano de Libreros~ Apr 18 – 20, Buenos Aires, Argentina

BC Book and Magazine Week~ Apr 18 – 25, Province of British Columbia, Canada

London Book Fair~ Apr 20 – 22, London, United Kingdom

Global Action Week: Open Books, Open Doors~ Apr 20 – 26

Camara Chilena del Libro Book Fair~ Apr 21 – 28, Santiago, Chile

Blue Metropolis Montreal International Literary Festival and Children’s Festival~ Apr 22 – 26, Montreal, QC, Canada

World Book and Copyright Day~ Apr 23

Cambridge WordFest~ Apr 23 – 26, Cambridge, United Kingdom

35th Buenos Aires International Book Fair~ Apr 23 – May 11, Buenos Aires, Argentina

27th Annual Spring Festival of Children’s Literature~ Apr 24 – 25, Frostburg, MD, USA

Celebration of Latino Children’s Literature~ Apr 24 – 25, Columbia, SC, USA

SCBWI New England’s Annual Conference: Many Voices~ Apr 24 – 26, Nashua, NH, USA

Los Angeles Times Festival of Books~ Apr 25 – 26, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Lecture: The Reconfiguration of Children and Children’s Literature in a Globalized World~ Apr 27, Drumcondra, Ireland

5th Annual PEN World Voices Festival of International Literature~ Apr 27 – May 3, New York, NY, USA

Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Winners Announced~ Apr 28, New York, NY, USA

The Voyage of the Reader: Using Children’s Books to Create a Love of Reading~ Apr 29, New York, NY, USA

El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros~ Apr 30, USA

Frances Lincoln Diverse Voices Children’s Book Award Winner Announced~ Apr 30, Newcastle upon Tyne, United Kingdom

Ezra Jack Keats Awards for Excellence in Children’s Literature Ceremony~ Apr 30, New York, NY, USA

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19th Annual Children’s Books Illustrated Exhibit~ ongoing until Apr 25, Hayward, CA, USA

Bologna Children’s Book Fair~ Mar 31 – Apr 3, Bologna, Italy

Awards and Artistry Exhibit: Celebrating the Children’s Book Council of Australia ‘Books of the Year’~ ongoing until June, Dromkeen Museum, Australia

Kiriyama Prize Winners Announced~ Apr 1, USA

International Children’s Book Day~ Apr 2

Seattle Rainbow Bookfest~ Apr 5, Seattle, WA, USA

The Virginia Hamilton Conference on Multicultural Literature for Youth ~ Apr 10 – 11, Kent State University, Kent, OH, USA

14th Celebration of Children’s Literature~ Apr 12, Berkeley, CA, USA

ALA National Library Week~ Apr 13 – 19, USA

14th Annual Border Book Festival~ Apr 18 – 20, Mesilla, NM, USA

Brighton Children’s Book Festival ‘Leaping From the Page’~ Apr 19 – 20, University of Brighton, UK

World Book and Copyright Day: Sponsored by UNESCO ~ Apr 23

Camara Chilena del Libro Book Fair~ Apr 23 – 30, Santiago, Chile

Buenos Aires Book Fair~ Apr 24 – May 10, Buenos Aires, Argentina

Américas Award Winners Announced~ Apr 25

13th Annual Los Angeles Times Festival of Books~ Apr 26 – 27, Los Angeles, CA, USA

Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Winners Announced~ Apr 28, New York, NY, USA

2nd Marathon In Storytelling~ Apr 28 – 29, Quito, Ecuador

El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros (Children’s Day/Book Day)~Apr 30, USA