Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month TODAY!

Hispanic Heritage Month is September 15th - October 15th. What can YOU do to celebrate the rich diversity of the Latino cultures with your students, children, etc?

• Share culturally relevant and authentic books about the Latino cultures such as those winning the Américas, Tomás Rivera, and Belpré Awards.
• Invite the parents, grandparents, and other familia of your Latino children to share stories, songs, rhymes, etc. from their culture.
• Celebrate the love of reading with recommended Día activities listed in this blog. Although Día is in April, websites celebrating this holiday have considerable information on planning library and literacy programs that celebrate Latino cultures.
• Have children use their information literacy skills to find information about famous Hispanic Americans and Latinos.
• Invite Latino community leaders to speak to your students/children.
• Highlight the storytelling and important contributions of Puerto Rican children's librarian Pura Belpré via the book The Storyteller's Candle/La velita de los cuentos, written by Lucía González and illustrated by Lulu Delacre (Children's Book Press 2008).
• Share recommended Spanish children's and young adult books found in America Reads Spanish's Essential Guide to Spanish Reading for Children and Young Adults. Available: http://www.americareadsspanish.org/libro/ARS_Essential_Guide_to_Spanish_Reading_for_Children_and_Young_Adults.pdf
• Celebrate Hispanic Heritage EVERYDAY not just this month.

For statistical information on the Latino population to share during Hispanic Heritage Month, check out the U.S. Census Bureau's website: http://www.census.gov/Press-Release/www/releases/archives/facts_for_features_special_editions/013984.html.