CHILDREN'S DAY / BOOK DAY
Also known as Dia de los ninos / Dia de los libros - Dia! is a nationally recogized initiative that emphasizes the importance of literacy for all children from all backgrounds. It is a daily commitment to linking children and their families to diverse books, languages and cultures. The Dia initiative was founded by author and poet, Pat Mora - visit her website here. Find a multitude of helpful resources to plan your Dia celebration on the official Dia website. Dia! = Diversity in Action!
Tomas and The Library Lady
Based on the true story of the Mexican-American author and educator Tomas Rivera. Tomas is a son of migrant workers who finds joy in discovering a library and a caring librarian. (GL 2-5, 40 pages)
Bookjoy, Wordjoy
A wonderful collection of poems that celebrate engaging with words and books. Will inspire creative word play in readers of all ages. (GL 2-7, 32 pages)
Book Fiesta!
This award-winning picture book is a bilingual celebration of Children's Day/ Book Day. (GL PS-3, 40 pages)
Dona Flor: A Tall Tale About a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart
A heartwarming and original tall tale about a beautiful giantess who is a protector to all villagers. (GL1-3, 32 pages)
"Saltypie" by Tim Tingle
Author relates story about his grandmother who, as a young mother, is blinded by - most likely - a racially motivated assault. (GL 2-5; 40 pages)
"Alma and How She Got Her Name" by Juana Martinez-Neal
Alma has a very long name and she is about to find out how she came to have it.
-OverDrive (GL K-2, 32 pages)
"The Whole Story of Half a Girl" by Veera Hiranandani
Sonia's father is an Indian immigrant and her mother is Jewish-American. She's starting a new middle school and trying to figure out where she fits in while grappling with perplexing cultural identity issues.
-Kirkus (GL 4-8, 224 pages)
"The First Rule of Punk" by Celia C. Perez
12 year old Malu wants to be totally punk at her new middle school, but her Mexican-American mother would prefer she learn to be a proper senorita. -Kirkus (GL 4-8, 336 pages)
"Arilla Sun Down" by Virginia Hamilton
Arilla, part African-American and part Native-American, isn't so sure where she belongs and how she fits in. But she's about to discover her inner courage on a daring rescue mission that will transform her relationship with her family and earn her the name Arilla Sun Down. (GL 6-8, 296 pages)
"Love, Hate & Other Filters" by Samira Ahmed
Maya is torn between worlds. There's the "proper" one her parents expect for her - and then there's the world of her dreams.
-OverDrive
(GL 8-12, 312 pages)
"The Radius of Us" by Marie Marquardt
This is a story of love, sacrifice, and the journey from victim to survivor. It offers an intimate glimpse into the causes and devastating impact of Latino gang violence, both in the U.S. and in Central America, and explores the risks that victims take when they try to start over. -OverDrive
"You Hold Me Up" by Monique Gray Smith
This vibrant picture book encourages children to show love and support for each other and to consider each other's well-being in their everyday actions.
-OverDrive (GL K-2, 32 pages)
"Strictly No Elephants" by Lisa Mantchev
When the local Pet Club won’t admit a boy’s tiny pet elephant, he finds a solution—one that involves all kinds of unusual animals in this sweet and adorable picture book. A boy and his tiny pet elephant show others what it means to be a true friend.
-OverDrive (GL K-2, 32 pages)
"I'm New Here" by Anne Sibley O'Brien
Three immigrant students have trouble speaking, writing, and sharing ideas in English. Through self-determination and with encouragement from their peers and teachers, the students learn to feel confident and comfortable in their new school without losing a sense of their home country, language, and identity.
-OverDrive (GL K-3, 32 pages)
"Donuthead" by Sue Stauffacher
Franklin Delano Donuthead is a fifth grader with a lot of problems. For starters, his last name is Donuthead. This is a hilarious and touching novel featuring a neurotic, scared boy and a tougher-than-nails girl who each help the other in more ways than they can imagine. -OverDrive (GL 3-7, 176 pages)
"The Warden's Daughter" by Jerry Spinelli
Cammie lives on-site at the Hancock County Prison with her father (her mother died when she was a baby.) Hanging out with shoplifters and reformed arsonists in the women's excercise yard is nothing unsual in her life. Driven by a need to have a mother, Cammie embarks on a desperate search for happiness. (GL 5-8, 352 pages)
"Brown Girl Dreaming" by Jacqueline Woodson
Raised in South Carolina and New York, Woodson always felt halfway home in each place. In vivid poems, she shares what it was like to grow up as an African American in the 1960s and 1970s, living with the remnants of Jim Crow and her growing awareness of the Civil Rights movement.
-OverDrive
(GL 5-6, 368 pages)
"A Hope More Powerful Than The Sea" by Melissa Flemming
This story chronicles the life of Doaa, a Syrian girl whose life was upended in 2011 by the onset of her country's brutal civil war. Doaa flees to Europe to seek safety and an education, but four days after setting sail on a smuggler's dilapidated fishing vessel along with five hundred other refugees, their boat is struck and begins to sink. This is the moment when Doaa's struggle for survival really begins.
-OverDrive (GL 9-12, 288 pages)
"The Book of Unknown Americans" by Cristina Henriquez
Arturo and Alma Rivera have lived their whole lives in Mexico. One day, their beautiful fifteen-year-old daughter, Maribel, sustains a terrible injury, one that casts doubt on whether she'll ever be the same. They leave behind all they have and come to America with a single dream: that Maribel can get better.
-OverDrive (GL 9-12, 304 pages)
"Everything, Everything" by Nicola Yoon
What if you couldn't touch anything in the outside world? Never breathe in the fresh air, feel the sun warm your face . . . or kiss the boy next door? Maddy is a girl who's literally allergic to the outside world, and Olly is the boy who moves in next door . . . and becomes the greatest risk she's ever taken. -OverDrive (GL 7-12, 352 pages)
DENVER PUBLIC SCHOOLS LIBRARY SERVICES
Email: libraryhelpdesk@dpsk12.org
Website: etlsdpsk12.org/library_services
Location: 1617 South Acoma Street, Denver, CO, USA
Phone: 720-423-1842
