Greensboro's public library celebrates El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros

El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros is a festival for both English and Spanish-speaking residents of Greensboro. The holiday was first founded by Pat Mora, a Mexican American children’s author. Mora realized that in the United States, there wasn’t a children’s day celebration. So, the writer decided to link both celebrating kids and promoting literacy. 

The event is organized by Greensboro’s public library in partnership with the Consulate of Mexico and Casa Azul of Greensboro, an organization that promotes and supports Latino artists.

Beth Bowles, the Latino outreach coordinator for the Greensboro Public Library, says people tend to look forward to the event every year, since it makes local immigrants feel at home. 

"I think for many people, if they've recently immigrated, they aren't necessarily aware of what public libraries provide, what types of services [are available], and that they're all free," says Bowles. "So it's a wonderful opportunity for people to learn about those services. I think I heard that comment last year that it just felt like a big festival that they would have at home. And it was such a you know, it brought them a lot of joy."

The event is being held this Saturday, is open to the public and young attendees will get a free children’s book. This year, Banda Infantil Juvenil "Descendencia Oaxaqueña" will be playing regional music from Oaxaca. 

This story was produced by a partnership between WFDD and La Noticia. 

Eileen Rodriguez is a reporter for both WFDD and La Noticia through Report for America, where she covers COVID-19's impact in the Latino Communities.

Periodista de La Noticia y 88.5 WFDD, Eileen Rodríguez reporta el impacto de COVID-19 en la comunidad Latina en Carolina del Norte. Rodríguez es miembro del cuerpo de periodistas de Report for America 2021-2022