Austin, TX – The Texas Center for the Book has announced this year’s Lone Star Día, April 30, and will partner once again with First Book, the largest online community of educators serving kids living in poverty, to bring multicultural children’s books to Texas libraries through its grant program. The Lone Star Día Grant is designed to support libraries and literacy nonprofits serving children in need, providing $200 in book credits to allow them to purchase diverse titles to augment their own Lone Star Día programs.
“We are so excited to be able to provide this support to Texas Libraries in celebration of Lone Star Día once again this year,” said Gloria Meraz, Director and Librarian at the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. “Lone Star Día can be a great way to encourage and reinforce the power of reading among all people in our communities.”
Librarians may use funds for books they select from the First Book Marketplace, which offers a wide array of diverse titles for children in its Stories For All Project™ collection. Libraries not eligible for First Book may qualify for a limited number of $100 Amazon gift cards to support multicultural collection development.
This year is the 26th annual celebration of national Children’s Day, Book Day (Día de los Niños, Día de los Libros) founded in 1996 by Texas author and literacy advocate Pat Mora. Lone Star Día is Texas’s statewide celebration of the day. “The Texas Center for the Book encourages a love of books and reading among children of all cultures,” said Coordinator Rebekah Manley. “We encourage libraries, schools, churches and other allied organizations to discover ‘bookjoy’ year-round.” Most events occur around the official national celebration on April 30, but can take place at any time.
A national registry listing events is available at dia.ala.org, which covers events such as story times, family celebrations and cultural meals. The site includes a Free Program Downloads section to access booklists, event posters and sample activities available to all libraries, schools and participating organizations. The website aims to provide easy-to-use materials to make events manageable. Users are encouraged to register their event to the National Día Program Registry to attract more participants.
Information about Lone Star Día Grants and other available grants is available at https://www.tsl.texas.gov/lonestardia.
The Texas Center for the Book is one of 50 state centers affiliated with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and is under the direction of the Texas State Library and Archives Commission. Funding is made possible by the Edouard Foundation and the Friends of Libraries and Archives of Texas.
First Book is a nonprofit social enterprise working to create systemic change that ensures educational equity for children in need. Since its founding in 1992, First Book has distributed more than 200 million books and educational resources to programs and schools serving children from low-income families.
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The Texas State Library and Archives Commission provides Texans access to the information they need to be informed, productive citizens by preserving the archival record of Texas; enhancing the service capacity of public, academic, and school libraries; assisting public agencies in the maintenance of their records; and meeting the reading needs of Texans with disabilities. For more information, visit tsl.texas.gov.