91´«Ã½

CHICAGO — An annual celebration of children, families and reading since 1996, Children’s Day/Book Day, known as , emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. Just in time for Día’s 15th anniversary, and the (ALSC) present by Jeanette Larson. This collection of the best Día programming ideas offers:

• A wealth of ready-to-use programs, easily adaptable for a variety of cultures;
• Numerous bilingual book suggestions, perfect for collection development, early literacy storytimes and year-round program planning;
• Cultural competency training tips to encourage outreach to minority populations;
• Interviews with library directors about the best ways to heighten awareness of cultural and literacy issues.

Larson has more than 30 years of library experience. She currently teaches at Texas Woman’s University and is an independent trainer for libraries nationwide. An active member of ALSC and the Texas Library Association (TLA), Larson’s involvement in Día began early in the initiative’s history, with the development of an informational booklet of program ideas. More recently, she served on a TLA committee that produced a grant-funded Día tool kit for libraries. In 2003, she served as a member of the Estela and Raúl Mora Award Committee of , the National Association to Promote Library and Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish-Speaking. She is also the author of the children’s book "Hummingbirds: Facts and Folklore from the Americas."



For more than eight decades, librarians from ALSC have intensely scrutinized the children's books published each year, selecting the winning and honor books for the Newbery and Caldecott Awards. In addition, ALSC is committed to creating a nation of readers, starting with the youngest. ALSC supports all those providing library services to children, including youth librarians, teachers, families, literature experts, publishers and child advocates.

purchases fund advocacy, awareness, and accreditation programs for library professionals worldwide. publishes resources used worldwide by tens of thousands of library and information professionals to improve programs, build on best practices, develop leadership, and for personal professional development. 91´«Ã½ authors and developers are leaders in their fields, and their content is published in a growing range of print and electronic formats. Contact 91´«Ã½ Editions at (800) 545-2433 ext. 5418 or editionsmarketing@ala.org.