2023 - This year, the library’s annual El Día de los Niños/El Día de los Libros celebration was comprised of multiple events. For our first Día event, we invited the Early PreK and PreK classes from UNM-Taos’s own Kid’s Campus to visit the library for a storytime with educational books about the importance of water and keeping it clean. The kids then made water-themed art, including paintings and an intricate acequia diorama, for an acequia presentation hosted by the library that celebrated the release of the book "Water for the People" edited by UNM professors emeriti Enrique Lamadrid and José A. Rivera. Kid's Campus also created a video that was displayed at the end of the acequia program, which featured images of the Early PreK and PreK classes learning about water and creating their masterpieces.
The second Día storytime was held at the Harwood Museum of Art; the theme for this storytime was art and music. We were joined by two lead teachers from Kid's Campus, who led attendees in music and movement.
2021 - This year we partnered with the home visiting program Tiwa Babies and Taos Pueblo Head Start to put on a gallery showing of kids' art. The theme for the art show was the book "We are Water Protectors” by Carole Lindstrom. This book was distributed to 35 families and a show was set up at the TCA Stables Gallery. UNM-Taos Library staff developed a packet with the book, activity handout, coloring/drawing prompts, Dia bookmarks, and UNM-Taos Library stickers.
The first episode of "Rio Grande Serenade" by UNM-Taos's DMA program was also projected on the wall.
2020 - Día was cancelled because of the Covid-19 Pandemic.
2019 - This year UNM-Taos Library held an event to promote Teen Parent Literacy through storytelling and activities. The theme this year was organized around growth and nurturing, with copies of Growing Vegetable Soup and seed packets handed out to demonstrate how food is grown. A reading list was also distributed, with book titles for parents listed on one side and titles for children listed on the other.
Families were invited to the Taos Public Library for storytime with the UNM-Taos college library staff, macaroni necklace making, seed planting and snacks of fresh vegetables donated by local supermarkets.
This year’s event was a partnership between UNM-Taos Library, UNM-Taos CASA, Upward Bound, Taos Public Library, DreamTree Project and the Taos High School GRADS program for teen mothers.
2018 - This year the college library facilitated a program with the 3rd and 4th graders at the Taos International School for the Arts (TISA) using Ed Cardenas’ Lovito series of bilingual books. The theme was generosity, and there were readings and art activities.
The library also sponsored events featuring Joe Hayes, an award winning author and a nationally recognized teller of bilingual Spanish-English tales from Hispanic, Native American, and Anglo Cultures. The storytelling event was open to the public of all ages, and Hayes also spoke at an academic storytelling event for the UNM-Taos students and faculty on campus that afternoon speaking to the craft of storytelling, and encouraging students to expand their storytelling skills.
2017-This year the Library celebrated with the nineteen students in Annelise Zosel’s K-2 class at Roots and Wings Community School, focusing on another aspect of Dia, which is “Diversity in Action.” The Library chose age-appropriate books that reflect a diversity theme and distributed them to all 3 classes. Because of PARCC assessments, only the K-2 class could participate in the actual Dia event. The Library created a Diversity Tree, a large painted tree where students could paste a photo, picture, or drawing that represents their heritage. The UNM-Taos Librarians shared the book, "Mama’s Nightingale; a Story of Immigration and Separation," written by Edwidge Danticat and illustrated by Leslie Staub. The UNM-Taos Library also distributed age-appropriate books on the theme of diversity to all of the Roots and Wings students. Titles donated to the school were: "The Blossoming Universe of Violet Diamond" by Brenda Woods and "Under the Mesquite" by Guadalupe Garcia McCall.
2016 - UNM Taos Library is collaborating with Arroyos del Norte Elementary School. This year, with Dia turning 20, the Library has returned to the beloved brand: BOOKS! Each student will create a page for a Dia book, and, at the end of the celebration, Library staff will bind the pages into one book for the school. The Library will also donate 2 books to each classroom.
While the UNM Taos Library staff will, appropriately, be housed in the school library, various classrooms will be the scene of other activities such as making a yarn kite, making maracas, making mini piñatas, face painting and dancing. Students will rotate through the activities, culminating in a performance by the Mariachi Questa from 11-11:30.
2015 - We celebrated at the Ranchos Elementary School. The theme of this event was S.T.E.A.M. - Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts & Mathematics. Library staff and student employees at the UNM-Taos community college library visited two 5th grade classes at the local Ranchos Elementary School. The college students taught the 5th graders two simple science experiments and each 5th grader received a copy of "Ruby Goldberg's Bright Idea" by Anna Humphrey. They were provided a brief overview of the Dewey Decimal system and how to find materials in their school library.
2014 – At Leaping Lizards School and Summer Camp. This event was focused on, “Reading, Recycling, and Relating to Children through Books.” The UNM-Taos Library Staff and Students read books and interacted with the children ages 3-5. We also had decorative trays of fruits and vegetables to eat! Each child received a copy of the book, "I Can Save the Earth!" by Alison Inches and Viviana Garofoli. Leaping Lizards’ school curriculum is based on the belief that children possess a natural curiosity and a need for creative discovery.
2013 – At the UNM-Taos Kid’s Campus the 7th graders from The COOP Charter School came for Earth Day. The children planted vegetable and flower seeds in handmade origami pots, colored some sheets with crayons and read books about gardening.
2012 – Taos High School Drama class performed a play at the new Enos Garcia Elementary School Library. Mayor Darren Cordova delivered the Proclamation that, "This is an opportunity to honor children, their languages and culture; to encourage reading and literacy; and to promote library collections and programs that reflect our plurality...."
2011 – Taos Pueblo Day School and Enos García Elementary School used technology and connected over Skype. The students learned about storytelling, and read tall tales they wrote using hyperbole and exaggeration. They also took turns reading stories that taught a scientific lesson about heat transfer.
2010 – UNM-Taos Childcare Center (Klauer) hosted this event. There was a KXMT Radio Interview with Roberto Mondragon, Larry Torres, Music by Taos Middle School Mariachi Band at the Taos Middle School Library.
2009 – Rocky Mountain Youth corps volunteered at Taos Elementary School library and Enos García Elementary School. Also included in this event was Retablo painting with local artist Lydia Garcia and a puppets collection performance by Sallie and Bob Blair.
2008 – Wise Fool (Alessandra Ogren & Rebekah Tarin) of New Mexico presented, at the UNM-Taos Library, “The Secret of Joy,” a puppet show about the friendship, fear and persistence of honeybees.
Full Speed Ahead! How Fast Things Go – by Cruschiform
Boy + Bot – by Ame Dyckman, illustrated by Dan Yaccarino
My Explosive Diary – by Emily Gale, illustrated by Joëlle Dreidemy
Awesome Dawson – by Chris Gall
Oh, Rats! – by Albert Marrin, illustrated by C.B. Mordan
The Most Magnificent Thing – by Ashley Spire
Our library staff is dedicated to creating community spaces that cultivate the love of lifelong learning, and committed to creating sustainable change in childhood literacy, language and cultural and social skills. Our library collections contain significant numbers of culturally relevant print and non-print media materials that can support on-site and off-site programs and services. We believe our partnerships will enable us to increase public awareness of Día, and its goals in our community.
Free Día Program Downloads, including current booklists
