Reading Rockets offers a wealth of reading strategies, lessons, and activities designed to help young children learn how to read and read better. Our reading resources assist parents, teachers, and other educators in working with struggling readers who require additional help in reading fundamentals and comprehension skills development.

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El día de los niños, April 30

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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."

Activities

Send an e-card

Catch a kid reading… and show how proud you are! Send an e-card to a child, friend, or relative. Ours was created for Reading Rockets by David Diaz, the Caldecott Medal winning illustrator of Stormy Night, Roadrunner's Dance, and other books.

Go to e-card

Five fun sheets

Print out these Reading Rockets activity sheets, available in English and Spanish, to encourage kids to have fun with words and letters on April 30.

Download in English (788K PDF)*
Download in Spanish (948K PDF)*

Video interviews

Watch Reading Rockets interviews with celebrated Hispanic and Latino children's book authors, including Pam Muñoz Ryan, George Ancona, and Pat Mora — the founder of El día de los niños/El día de los libros. For more information about Pat Mora, 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

Association for Library Service to Children (ALSC): Official El día de los niños website
ALSC: Free Día bilingual brochures available for download featuring Dora the Explorer*
ALSC: List of Día celebrations by state
Texas Library Association: Día Celebration Toolkit and Resources for Teachers and Librarians
El Paso Public Library: Día Celebration Ideas
Criticas Magazine Article: "El día de los niños/El día de los libros — Celebrating Children and Books"
National Latino Children's Institute: Día Celebration Website
Colorín Colorado: Fun reading tips and activities for parents

* To view this file, you'll need a copy of Acrobat Reader. Most computers already have it installed, or you can download it now.

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