Niños and libros, books in the hands of niños

This month holds one of Paraguay’s most beloved holidays, the Day of the Niño, August 16. While not an official bank holiday, it is typically celebrated in the schools with snacks and raffles (hot chocolate is especially popular since the day occurs during wintertime). The origin of the Paraguayan version of the Day of the Child is tragic, for it commemorates the brave children who fought in one of Paraguay’s major wars, the majority of whom lost their lives in battle on August 16, 1869. There was a shortage of men, and children put aside books and took up arms, painting their faces with mustaches and beards. Most of them perished, and to this day every August 16 in Paraguay niños—and their rights—are center stage. I like this excerpt from one of the books I donated to the library, in an entry for the Dia del Niño:

"Los niños de hoy, tambien tienen esa batalla que libran dia a dia, la lucha contra la ignorancia. Sus armas son cuadernos, lapices y libros. Esta batalla todos la tienen que ganar."

In other words, today's children also have a battle that can free them day by day, the fight against ignorance. Their weapons are notebooks, pencils and books. Everyone must strive to win this battle.

For me, the best gifts for children have always been and will always be books. For the Day of the Niño I gave Beta and Nico each a book. Nico was especially excited with his Ben10 title. (I’d never ever heard of Ben10, a cartoon action figure, until Nico told me about him.) It made my day when I came home once and saw Nico lying in his bed on his stomach, attentively studying his new book! At schooI, I organized a book expo, to showcase all the new books either donated or purchased as a result of my recent trip home. ¡Muchas gracias! to all my friends and colleagues who are supporting my efforts in getting more books in childrens’ hands, whether via a direct donation of books (a big shout out to my friend Library Jane, and her foundation Libraries for All, www.librariesforall.org ) or by purchasing some of the Paraguayan “ñanduti” fare I was peddling while home, namely the colorful bookmarks made out of spider-web like lace. My ñanduti sales made it possible for me to return to Paraguay and purchase books published in this country, thereby further supporting the Paraguayan economy, rather than spending money on postage from home to mail books purchased in the States. Most of the kids in my school do not have ANY picture books at home, and there is no public library in this community, so the books in the school library are the only ones they see.

The book expo also kicked off a reading contest I’m holding with the kids, to culminate on September 8, International Literacy Day. Some days it can get discouraging when several kids in grades beyond 1st can’t read two letter words to you, like “yo,” “en,” “de”…you get the idea, and so I’m doing my best to put forth my little grain of sand by (hopefully) making reading more appealing to even reluctant readers. Every child will receive a prize on International Literacy Day, even if “just” a new pencil, for we must motivate everyone to try to read, and not merely reward those who already read well. Pencils (yet another thanks to those of you who have sent me pencils!) will be prized, especially as we approach the last phase of the school year here, when many children can be seen writing with pencils two inches long. I also plan to give out bunches of bookmarks and posters, part of my ALA conference swag collection! ¡Vivan los niños y los libros, vivan! ¡Y que vivan juntos siempre!