El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Day of the Child/Day of the Book) is a celebration based on childhood and literacy that began in 1997. Borrowing from the traditional Mexican holiday "El día de los niños," the American version expanded to include literacy when acclaimed author Pat Mora took up the cause in 1997. A year later, the U.S. Congress officially designated April 30 as "Day of the Child."

Books and Authors

Author and illustrator interviews

Watch Reading Rockets interviews with celebrated Hispanic and Latino children's book authors and illustrators, including Pat Mora — the founder of El día de los niños/El día de los libros.

• Alma Flor Ada
• Francisco X. Alarcón
• George Ancona
• Monica Brown
• Lulu Delacre
• Lucía González
• Rafael López
• Pat Mora
• Pam Muñoz Ryan

Booklists

We've gathered up several collections of recommended books for kids 0–9 years old, many in Spanish and English. Written by well-known Hispanic and Latin American children's authors, the diverse sampling includes traditional songs, bilingual poetry, picture book biographies, and much more.

• Favorite Latino and Spanish-Language Books
• Celebrate Reading in Two Languages
• Fiesta!
• Latinas Who Made a Difference

More día resources from Colorín Colorado

For more information about Pat Mora, an exclusive interview with Mora about día's 15th year (in English and Spanish), additional author interviews (in English and Spanish), bilingual reading resources for families, bilingual activities for children, and related classroom activities, visit our sister site, Colorín Colorado.

Additional resources

• Pat Mora's blog, Bookjoy
• Official día de los niños website (Association for Library Service to Children — ALSC)
• Free Día program resources (ALSC)
• List of Día celebrations by state (ALSC)
• Día Celebration Toolkit and Resources for Teachers and Librarians (Texas Library Association)
• Día Celebration Website (National Latino Children's Institute)