El día de los niños and libros celebration kicks off at library’s Discovery Green branch
Do you know“bookjoy”? It’s a love of reading! And on Saturday, April 20, from noon – 2:00 at the Houston Public Library Express-Discovery Green branch, bookjoy and music will fill the air as “Día at Discovery,” a celebration of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), gets underway with acclaimed children’s author Monica Brown—best known for her biographies on Latin greats such as Celia Cruz and Gabriel García Márquez—and director and founder of Arte Público Press Nicolás Kanellos, as they present stories and folk songs for families at Discovery Green park (1500 McKinney). Kanellos will also be on hand for remarks at a City of Houston City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 16, for a Mayoral Proclamation, sponsored by Council Member Melissa Noriega, honoring Houston Public Library and Arte Público’s partnership and work on Día at Discovery.
Día, for short, is a daily commitment to link all children to books, languages and cultures; celebrations are held across the country on or near April 30th. Author Pat Mora, whose notable career began with Arte Público Press in 1985, established Día to highlight the importance of advocating literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. The American Library Association’s page devoted to Día can be found at: http://dia.ala.org/. “Día at Discovery” is free and other highlights will include music by a student group, refreshments, activities and books. Sponsors include: Houston Public Library, Discovery Green, Writers in the Schools and the Houston Arts Alliance.
Monica Brown is the award-winning author of magical, multicultural books for children, including Tito Puente, Mambo King / Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo; Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match / Marisol McDonald no combina; Clara and the Curandera / Clara y la curandera; Butterflies on Carmen Street / Mariposas en la calle Carmen; and My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz / Me llamo Celia: La vida de Celia Cruz. When she is not writing, she teaches Latino/a literature at Northern Arizona University.
For more information visit her website: http://www.monicabrown.net/.