20 years of Día! A celebration of children, reading and culture
Charlotte Mecklenburg Library is celebrating El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day), with programs that take place in select Library branches and community agencies throughout the month of April. Also known as Día, this initiative emphasizes the importance of literacy for children of all linguistic and cultural backgrounds. 2016 marks the national initiative’s 20th anniversary.
Children and families are invited to celebrate at special events, including a meet-the-author program at Scaleybark branch on April 28, and a grand celebration at ImaginOn on Saturday, April 30, 2016, the day of the national Día celebration. Details of these signature events are below. To find a Día program at a branch near you, visit www.cmlibrary.org/dia2016 or call any of the 20 library branches in Mecklenburg County. For information in Spanish, call 704-416-0556.
Meet author Lucia Gonzalez
Thursday, April 28 from 4:30-5:15 p.m.
Scaleybark Library, 101 Scaleybark Rd. | 704-416-6400
Engage in a family-friendly literacy experience that honors all children, books and cultures. We’re celebrating 20 years of Día with guest Lucia Gonzalez, the author of three award-winning children’s books: The Bossy Gallito, Señor Cat’s Romance and Other Favorite Stories from Latin America, and The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos. This event will include special appearances by Elephant and Piggie. Learn more.
Día grand finale birthday celebration at ImaginOn
Saturday, April 30 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
ImaginOn, 300 E. 7th Street, Charlotte
Join us for hours of free family activities as we say happy birthday to Día. Meet author Lucia Gonzalez (12:30-1:00 p.m.), experience our Living Library, engage in fun learning activities with Discovery Place and Community School of the Arts, and enjoy music and dancing from around the world! Beloved storybook character Elephant and Piggie will also be a part of the literacy celebration. Learn more.
Día programs support the mission of the Charlotte Mecklenburg Library: to create a community of readers and empower individuals with free access to information and the universe of ideas. For more information on Library programs and services, visit cmlibrary.org.
More about author Lucia M. Gonzalez.
Lucia M. Gonzalez is the author of three award-winning children’s books: The Bossy Gallito, winner of the 1996 Pura Belpré Children’s Literature Honor Medal, Señor Cat’s Romance and Other Favorite Stories from Latin America, an Américas Award Commended Title; and The Storyteller’s Candle/La velita de los cuentos, winner of the 2009 Pura Belpré Children’s Literature Honor Medal for narrative. Lucia is the National Co-Chair of REFORMA’s Children and Young Adult Services Committee. She is the two-time recipient of national Library Journal Movers & Shakers Award for her contributions in shaping the future of libraries. Along with being an award winning author, Lucia Gonzalez is the Library Director for North Miami Public Library. She is also a phenomenal storyteller. Lucia said “My dream became to compile some of the most popular stories told to children throughout the Americas and retell them in English so that I could pass them onto our children in the U.S.A.”
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