El día de los niños/El día de los libros, commonly known as Día, is a celebration of children, families, and reading that culminates yearly on April 30. “Children’s Day” has been celebrated in many countries for over 90 years. Mexico and other Latin American countries chose to celebrate “Día de los Niños” on April 30th. This year the celebration will be moving online. Please celebrate Día de Los Libros with us and California’s First Partner, Jennifer Siebel Newsom on April 30th at 10 am! The First Partner will be hosting a story time via Facebook Live, and will read the kid's book, "We Count" in both English & Spanish.
After learning of the celebration in Mexico and Latin America, children’s book author Pat Mora helped create a new holiday in the United States emphasizing the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds, linking families to diverse books, languages and cultures.
This page is for the use of California libraries in planning and funding Día celebrations and children/family literacy programs in general.
This page is for libraries across California to utilize in planning and funding Día celebrations and children/family literacy programs in general.
Todos los niños, todos los días — every day, for every child!
Grants/Financial Support for Día Programs
Día Programming Funds. The State Library will provide up to $500 in cost reimbursement to California public libraries, for books and supplies for Día programs. Some restrictions apply. Application now closed.
REFORMA National is offering five $300 mini-grants for Día programming to public and school libraries. Application now closed.
Program Ideas, Activities & Planning Guides
- Celebrate Día Guide (First Time Books)
- Celebrating Children and Books (American Library Association)
- Free Program Downloads (American Library Association) [book lists, planning tools, coloring and activity]
- Dígame un cuento/Tell Me a Story: Bilingual Programs for Children and Families (Texas State Library and Archives)
- Día de los niños activity ideas (Pinterest board maintained by children’s librarian Martha Sanders)
- National Día Program Registry (national database showcasing Día programming on a national level)
- Planning Your Día Celebration Guide (Pat Mora)
Free Artwork and Publicity Tools for Your Día Events
- American Library Association Artwork
- American Library Association Press Center Día Publicity Tools
- Día Public Service Announcements
Help Finding Multicultural and Bilingual Children’s Books
- The Brown Bookshelf (designed to push awareness of the myriad Black voices writing for young readers)
- DiverseBookFinder.org (a collection of more than 2,000 children's picture books featuring people of color and indigenous people)
- Diversity Resources (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators)
- Early Childhood Census 2020: We Count! Ebooks for Kids (Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators)
- Multicultural Children’s Book Day Resources (website with links to free books and recommended book lists and other resources)
- Multicultural Literature (¡Colorín Colorado!)
- Native American Childrens Literature Recommended Reading List (First Nations Development Institute)
- OurStoryApp (a tool for kids, parents, educators, and librarians to discover diverse books)
- RainbowMe (a website offering information on culturally diverse entertainment for kids, including books as well as videos, toys, and apps)
Websites with More Día Celebration Resources & Information
- Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC)
- Bookjoy (Pat Mora)
- ¡Colorín Colorado!
- El Día del niño (Weebly)
- First Book
- Idaho Commission for Libraries
- National Latino Children’s Institut
- New Mexico State Library
- Reading Rockets
- San Francisco Public Library
- Texas State Library and Archives
Tools and Resources for Día Programming
Día de los niños library programs:
- Celebrate children and connect them to the world of learning through books, stories and libraries.
- Nurture cognitive and literacy development in ways that honor and embrace a child’s home language and culture.
- Introduce families to community resources that provide opportunities for learning through multiple literacies.
- Recognize and respect culture, heritage and language as powerful tools for strengthening families and communities.
Register Your Día Programs!
The American Library Association has a national database to track día de los niños programs in libraries. Please be sure to register your programs in this database; it’s a great resource for California libraries to get information about programs at the state level and allows libraries nationwide to benefit from information about your programs and activities for years t o come. If you register, you’ll be added to our interactive map!
P.S. If you want Día funding from the State Library, you’re required to register!