******** PRESS RELEASE FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

March 25, 2002
Contact: Patricia Fraga, Austin Public Library
(512) 974-7528; Fax: (512) 974-7442

Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros 2002: Austin’s Only Bilingual Celebration of Books, Reading & Family Learning

Celebrate with us at the 4rd Annual Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros, Austin’s only bilingual celebration of books, reading, and family learning. The event takes place on Saturday, April 27, 2002 from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at J.J. Pickle Elementary School / St. John Community Center in Northeast Austin (7500 Blessing Ave.) Last year, 2,000 children and parents attended this unique community celebration; over 1,900 new free books were given to kids and families to support reading in the home.

Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros 2002 will include readings and performances for youth by Texas writers David Rice, René Saldaña, and Xavier Garza. Don Tate, an Austin-based illustrator of popular children’s books, will be present to demonstrate for kids the art of caricature and book illustration. (See BIOS, page 2.)

Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros is unique in Austin in its commitment to giving low-income, predominately Spanish-speaking youth the opportunity to experience the joy of books through readings and workshops by award-winning bilingual authors. David Rice is the critically acclaimed author of young-adult shortstory collections Crazy Loco (named as ALA “Best Books for Young Readers,” 2001) and Give a Pig a Chance (Push Cart Prize nominee). Writer-in-residence, teacher, and mentor with the Llano Grande project in Elsa, Texas, Mr. Rice has lead workshops in Austin for children and teens at low-income AISD schools. Born in Weslaco, Texas, his stories reflect the experience of growing up Latino on the Texas-Mexico border. Similarly, Texas-born writers René Saldaña (The Jumping Tree) and Xavier Garza share stories drawn from the rich Mexican-American culture of South Texas.

Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros 2002 will also feature local storyteller and actress Irene Gonzales (“Petra’s Pecados”), dancer Daniel Llanes, and ventriloquist Nacho Estrada.The groups Believe In Me, Sims Elementary “Silvertones”, Jovenes Latinos, and Pickle Elementary “Latin Rhythms” will provide performances by youth, for youth. Hands-on educational activities, a free book give-away hosted by Reading Is Fundamental-Austin, and snacks will also be part of the celebration. The event is free and open to the public.

Since 1999, over 30 community groups, more than 250 volunteers, and over a dozen public schools have worked together to make Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros a model collaborative partnership promoting books, reading, and family literacy. The event has been honored for its success as an innovative, collaborative literacy outreach project with awards from the American Library Association and Texas Library Association. Event organizers include Austin Independent School District, Austin Public Library, Austin Children’s Museum, Americorps for Community Education and Engagement, KLRU, Child, Inc., Connections Resource Center, Girl Scouts-Lone Star Council, the Mexican Consulate, and others.

For more information, contact Elva Garza, Austin Public Library-St. John Branch, 974-7575, or visit www.main.org/ninos.

Día de los Niños/Día de los Libros
April 27, 2002, 10 a.m.- 2 p.m.
J.J. Pickle Elementary / St. John Community Center