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Dear Friends,
Sunflowers, growing taller than I am outside my home, surfaced recently as a good metaphor. I spoke about their indigenous Mexican roots at the 15th Anniversary Día celebration at ALA this summer. They are an appealing symbol since they're not a single bloom but composite flowers that form the beautiful seed disc. Advocacy work is all about working together to form a lovely and resilient whole, isn't it? Autumn is the perfect time to begin using the Día Idea Booklet, to refine our skills at sharing bookjoy.
I had the good fortune to visit Sweden this summer and to savor the garden and history of Sweden's most famous scientist, Carl Linnaeus. Now I'm enjoying writing a second children's book with my daughter Libby Martinez. As the heat eases, I'm feeling blessed to love the work I do-
writing, presenting, advocacy. Hope your work is also bringing you joy.
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Sunflowers at Linnaeus' garden. |
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DÍA IDEA BOOKLET
Día is a daily commitment. It's not too early to begin planning for next year's culminating Día celebrations and Pat Mora's Idea Booklet for a Día Year is just the resource that will help! The booklet includes Pat's vision for Día's future, many Nuggets or strategies for planning your Día year, and 30 reflections on Día's important work. Click here to download your free copy.
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BOOK NEWS
 Pat's picture book about Our Lady of Gaudalupe, with illustrations by Steve Johnson and Lou Fancher, will be published by Knopf/Random House in Spring 2013.
 Pat and her daughter, Libby Martinez, just signed a contract for their first book together. They share the story of their aunt, Lobo, (the star of A Birthday Basket for Tía) who became a citizen at eighty. Another title from Knopf/Random House.
Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems About Love is coming in paper in January 2012. "Teachers in need of a fresh new avenue for teaching poetic form, lovers of language, and teens in search of a broader definition of love will find it here."- School Library Journal
 An Arabic edition of Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children's Day/ Book Day · Celebremos El día de los niños/ El día de los libros is now available. It's published by Kalimat Publishing & Distribution and the ISBN is 978-9948-16-075-5. Many of Pat's books are bilingual or available in Spanish editions. Pat's books available in other languages are mentioned on her blog.
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CONNECTIONS
We're introducing a new section to this newsletter. Each issue, we'll choose a theme like family or folktales and feature Pat's books connected to the theme. We'll give you links to literacy activities you can use in your classroom or library. Here are Fall and Winter Holidays and Celebrations for our first CONNECTIONS.
Gracias·Thanks - A young boy gives thanks to the ladybug that lands on his finger, the bees that don't sting him, and his little brother who throws mashed peas at their sister. What are you thankful for this year?
The Gift of the Poinsettia/ El regalo de la flor de nochebuena - In this re-telling of a Mexican folktale, Carlos, who lives with his aunt, attends a traditional posada in his Mexican town and learns the power of love.
Piñata in a Pine Tree: a Latino Twelve Days of Christmas - This is a clever version of the popular carol, one you'll be happily singing as you learn the new list of gifts -- some are yummy like pastelitos, some playful like burritos bailando, and some magical such as estrellitas saltando but all make a little girl smile and dance.
The Bakery Lady/La señora de la pandería - Join Mónica at her grandparents' bakery as she prepares sweets for her family and friends to celebrate the Feast of the Three Kings.
   
Connections: Fall & Winter Holidays and Celebrations
Family celebrations are important in all cultures. Use these four books to prompt comparisons and contrasts with students of all ages. Students can discuss, write about, draw, etc. common elements in the celebrations in these books. Students can also discuss their own family celebrations, why they are important, and what we learn by studying the celebrations of others. Students can also compare and contrast the protagonists in these books.
Please share how your students responded to these connections and what you found interesting about this Connections activity to help us assess whether to continue this newsletter section.
Find more activities for each title on Pat's website.
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DÍA AT ALA
ALSC hosted a Día Fifteenth Anniversary party during the ALA Annual Conference in New Orleans. The event included programming, recognition and celebration. Speakers were Jeanette Larson, Lucía González, Pat Mora, Oralia Garza de Cortes, and Cynthia Richey. Following the program, everyone enjoyed music and cake, and Pat signed complimentary copies (generously donated by HarperCollins) of Book Fiesta! Celebrate Children's Day/ Book Day · Celebremos El día de los niños/ El día de los libros.
PHOTOS! PHOTOS!
Send us your photos of Dia 2011 celebrations! As in the past, we're putting together a slide show of Dia's 15th Anniversary literacy photos from all over the country. We'd love to include YOU and your library, classroom or other venue.
Reminder: dancers and musicians are fun, but we want to convey how Día celebrations promote bookjoy. Send us your 3 best literacy photos to webcontact(at)patmora(dot)com. |
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 | | From L to R: Lucia Gonzalez, Jeanette Larson, Pat Mora, Cynthia Richey, Oralia Garza de Cortes. |
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BOOKJOY CREATIVITY SALON
Pat believes we are all creative and developing our creativity enriches our lives and the lives of those around us. Creativity is now a major theme of her Bookjoy blog. Visit the Bookjoy Creativity Salon where you meet interesting people discussing their creative work. Pat's latest interview is with Guadalupe Garcia McCall, a new author whose debut novel for young adults, Under the Mesquite, is published this month. Pat welcomes your suggestions.
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REFORMA IV
The fourth REFORMA National Conference is happening in Denver this month with the theme "Elevating Latino Services to a Higher Level: Juntos in the Mile High City!" Pat is the keynote speaker at a luncheon on Friday, September 16, 2011 where she'll talk about "Extreme Yum: The Zing of Sharing Bookjoy & Growing Día."
Pat will also participate in the session "Día Showcase: Celebrating 15 Years of Cultural & Reading Literacy" with Dr. Jamie Campbell Naidoo, Assistant and EBSCO-Foster Endowed Professor, University of Alabama-Tuscaloosa and Beatriz Pascual Wallace, MLIS Children's Librarian, Seattle Public Library, WA. There will be poster presentations by libraries receiving the Mora Award and Día mini-grants. |
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Articles written by Laurina Cashin, Newsletter Manager
As always, we welcome your comments and suggestions. Write to webcontact(at)patmora(dot)com.
Past issues of the e-newsletter are archived on Pat's website.
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Share Bookjoy! Tell your friends and colleagues about this newsletter. Signup is quick and easy. |
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