Author Pat Mora Delivers Talk Celebrating Children and Reading

SANTA BARBARA, Calif., April 19, 2016 -- Pat Mora gave the 47th annual May Hill Arbuthnot Honor Lecture entitled "Book Joy! ¡Alegria en los libros!" on Friday evening, April 15, in the Garvin Theatre at Santa Barbara City College in Santa Barbara, CA. Mora is an award-winning author of children's books, a passionate literacy advocate, and the founder of Children's Day / Book Day / Día which marks it 20th anniversary this April.

"In the spirit of Día, we need an exciting and excited reading movement in the United States today…" she said. "A bookjoy movement or initiative with compelling vision and action." The lecture emphasized the "importance of children… bundles of promise who all deserve and need to become readers for their sake and ours," as Mora put it.

Mora was preceded by Andrew Medlar, the President of the Association for Library Service to Children, who related the history of the Arbuthnot Lecture, and 2016 Arbuthnot Committee Chair Julie Corsaro, who introduced Mora, calling her a "brilliant poet, tireless literacy advocate and inspirational educator" and her books, "a celebration of Spanish and English language."

April 30, 2016 will be the 20th anniversary of Children's Day / Book Day. It can be celebrated by reading to a child in your life. Founded by writer and educator Pat Mora, Children's Day, Book Day, in Spanish, El día de los niños, El día de los libros, often known as Día, (day in Spanish) is a year-long commitment to linking children and families to books. A collaboration of national library and literacy organizations, educators, presses and readers, Día creatively celebrates all our children and the importance of bookjoy in their daily lives.

"I was enthusiastically assisted to start this family literacy initiative by REFORMA, the National Association to Promote Library & Information Services to Latinos and the Spanish Speaking. The Association for Library Services to Children (ALSC), a division of the American Library Association (ALA), has also been an active partner. A new, enthusiastic national partner is First Book," Pat Mora said.

Among other partners are ¡Colorín Colorado! (WETA), United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY), National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE), Texas Library Association (TLA), Texas State Library and Archives Commission, State Library of Iowa, New Mexico State Library, Arte Público Press, HarperCollins, and Pomelo Books.

To learn more, visit: http://www.patmora.com/whats-dia/

PRESS RELEASE including audio and video PSAs

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Photo Captions and Credits:
The American Library Association's 2016 Arbuthnot Committee Chair Julie Corsaro; Author and Literacy Advocate Pat Mora; and Andrew Medlar - President, Association for Library Service to Children , at the 2016 Arbuthnot Lecture. At the Garvin Theater in Santa Barbara, CA. Photo credit: Aimee Strittmatter

​Author and Literacy Advocate, Founder of Children's Day / Book Day / Día "framed."

Photo credit: Hap Freund​

Photos accompanying this release are available at:

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