Día (Children's Day/Book Day Booklist for Children, Tweens and Teens

El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children's Day/Book Day), commonly known as Día, is a celebration of children and wonderful books and culminates yearly on April 30. Día honors the cultures and language sof all children! This reading list includes books recommended by the Association for Library Services for Children (ALSC) and are owned by the Sussex County Library System.

Please also visit our event calendar to see what special programs we have scheduled in celebration of Día in April.

Updated January 30, 2026
S
Sussex County Library System (NJ)
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Across so many seas
Behar, Ruth
Paper Book
NEWBERY HONOR WINNER SYDNEY TAYLOR BOOK AWARD HONOR WINNER Spanning over five hundred years, Pura Belpré Award winner Ruth Behar's epic novel tells the stories of four girls from different generations of a Jewish family, many of them forced to leave their country and start a...
All mixed up
Tawney, Raj
Paper Book
WINNER, 2024 FOREWORD INDIES, HONORABLE MENTION, JUVENILE FICTION CBC 2025 MIDDLE-GRADE & TEACHER FAVORITES A DÍA READING LIST 2025 PICK A NEW YORK PUBLIC LIBRARY BEST BOOKS FOR KIDS 2024 PICK From New York Times essayist Raj Tawney comes All Mixed Up<...
Alma, where is Pajarito? = Alma, ¿dónde está Pajarito?
Martinez-Neal, Juana
Paper Book
Help Alma find Pajarito . . . in two languages! The celebrated series of bilingual board books continues, with a focus on prepositions--and starring the subject of the Caldecott Honor Book Alma and How She Got Her Name. Where is Alma's flying friend Pajarito? Is that him...
Aloha everything
George, Kaylin Melia
Paper Book
Winner of the Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature Winner of the Hawaiʻi Keiki Book Award An ALA Notable Children's Book ★ "A stunning tribute to Hawaiian culture and identity."-starred review, Kirkus ...
And then, boom!
Fipps, Lisa
Paper Book
A gripping new novel in verse by the author of the Printz Honor-winning Starfish, featuring a poverty-stricken boy who bravely rides out all the storms life keeps throwing at him Joe Oak is used to living on unsteady ground. His mom can't be depended on as she never stays...
Ash's cabin
Wang, Jen
Paper Book
A Kirkus Best Book of the YearA Booklist Best Book of the Year An Amazon Best Book of the Year Eisner Award Nominee (Best Publication for Teens) Ash has always felt alone. Adults ignore the climate crisis. Other kids...
The band in our basement
Baptist, Kelly J.
Paper Book
In this rollicking, rhyming picture book, a pair of siblings who are supposed to be in bed discover a jazz band playing in their basement The sounds downstairs are funky and we start to wiggle toes. We flip-flop and we giggle with sheets up...
Being home
Sorell, Traci
Paper Book
From Sibert Honor-winning author Traci Sorell and Caldecott Medal-winning artist Michaela Goade comes a heartwarming picture book about a Native American family and the joy of moving back to their ancestral land. Today is a day of excitement-it's time to move! As a young Cherokee...
Call me Roberto! : Roberto Clemente goes to bat for Latinos
Alonso, Nathalie
Paper Book
Roberto Clemente always loved baseball. Growing up in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he swung tree branches (since he didn't have a bat) and hit tin cans. He was always batting, pitching, running, sliding. His dedication paid off when, at the age of 19, he was tapped for a major league team. First stop-...
Carnival chaos
Baptiste, Tracey
Paper Book
From the best-selling author of the Jumbies series comes a magic-and-mythology-filled novel for 8-12-year-olds that celebrates Afro-Caribbean culture and Black history Weirdness and wonders abound in this Afro-Caribbean-inspired action-adventure novel about 3 cousins...
Daughters of the lamp
Lewers, Nedda
Paper Book
A USA Today Bestseller · A stunning middle grade fantasy inspired by Arabian legends about a girl who becomes the guardian of Ali Baba's treasure. Believe in fairy tales. Sahara Rashad lives by logic. Loves science. And always has a plan....
Finn and Ezra's Bar Mitzvah Time Loop
Levy, Joshua S.
Paper Book
Finn and Ezra's bar mitzvah weekend takes on a Groundhog Day twist in this hilarious and magical middle grade novel from Joshua S. Levy. Winner of a National Jewish Book Award and a Sydney Taylor Honor Book! Finn and Ezra don't have a lot in common--except, of course, that they're trapped...
Home in a lunchbox
Mo, Cherry
Paper Book
**WINNER OF THE CALDECOTT HONOR** Cherry Mo's stunning debut is about a young girl who immigrates to America and finds home in an unexpected place. When Jun moves from Hong Kong to America, the only words she knows are hello, thank you, I don't know,...
It's all love : reflections for your heart & soul
Ortega, Jenna
Paper Book
An empowering collection written by Jenna Ortega, the award-winning actress starring in the hit Netflix series WEDNESDAY. These deeply personal stories and quotes are accompanied by beautiful illustrations that explore Jenna's struggles with depression, experiences falling in-...
Kwame crashes the underworld
Farmer, Craig Kofi
Paper Book
Winner of the Coretta Scott King John Steptoe Award *Deluxe paperback with blue stained edges* Discover a stunning middle grade fantasy about a boy hurled into the Ghanaian underworld to help his grandmother save humanity, perfect for fans of Tristan...
The last stand
Eady, Antwan
Paper Book
The author of Nigel and the Moon, delivers a tender intergenerational story inspired by his childhood in the rural south. Here's a farm stand that represents the importance of family, community, and hope. A PUBLISHERS WEEKLY, BOOKPAGE, and SCHOOL...
A long time coming : a lyrical biography of race in America from Ona Judge to Barack Obama
Shepard, Ray Anthony
Paper Book
This YA biography-in-verse of six important Black Americans from different eras, including Ona Judge, Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Ida B. Wells, Martin Luther King Jr., and Barack Obama, chronicles the diverse ways each fought racism and shows how much--and how little--has changed for...
A maleta full of treasures
Sylvester, Natalia
Paper Book
A warm, gentle ode to cherished visits with grandparents and the people and places that make us who we are even if we haven't met them yet, by an acclaimed author and illustrator. It's been three years since Abuela's last visit, and Dulce revels in every tiny detail-from Abuela's...
Mid-Air
Williams, Alicia
Paper Book
Longlisted for the National Book Award A tender-souled boy reeling from the death of his best friend struggles to fit into a world that wants him to grow up tough and unfeeling in this stunning illustrated middle grade novel in verse "full of vulnerability and hope" (...
Monster hands
Kane, Karen
Paper Book
A Schneider Family Book Award Honor Two best friends use rhyming ASL to help vanquish their fear of the monster under the bed in this fun, interactive bedtime readaloud. When nighttime comes, Milo has a problem--he's convinced there's a monster under his bed! Luckily...
My daddy is a cowboy
Seales, Stephanie
Paper Book
Tall. High as the clouds. Strong as a horse's back. Like a cowboy. In the early hours before dawn, a young girl and her father greet their horses and ride together through the waking city streets. As they trot along, Daddy tells cowboy stories filled with fun and...
Nearer my freedom : the interesting life of Olaudah Equiano by himself
Edinger, Monica
Paper Book
"Permit me to lay at your feet the following genuine Narrative . . ." Olaudah Equiano was a writer and abolitionist whose autobiography, The Interesting Life of Olaudah Equiano, captured the attention of British readers at the height of the transatlantic slave trade. The...
Parachute kids
Tang, Betty C.
Paper Book
ABA Indie BestsellerNational Book Award Longlist TitleAsian/Pacific American Award Honor Book4 Starred Reviews This funny, fast-paced, and heartrending story about three siblings living on their own as undocumented new immigrants is perfect for fans of New...
Time to make art
Mack, Jeff
Paper Book
A Chicago Public Library Best Book A School Library Journal Best Book ★ "Inspiring" - Kirkus, starred review ★ "Delightful!" - School Library Journal, starred review ★ "Thoughtful" - Horn Book Magazine,...
The way champs play
Osaka, Naomi
Paper Book
In a rhythmic celebration of sport and play, four-time Grand Slam champion and tennis superstar Naomi Osaka shares key steps to becoming a true champ, including being kind, working as a team, doing your best, and most importantly, having fun. At Play Academy, We love...
We are big time
Khan, Hena
Paper Book
SWISH! Cheer courtside for a Muslim teen in this graphic novel-inspired by a true story-as she joins an all-girls, hijab-wearing basketball team and learns that she's much more than a score. Aliya is new to Wisconsin, and everything feels different than Florida. The Islamic...
Where wolves don't die
Treuer, Anton
Paper Book
Now in paperback! Best of the Year: New York Public Library - Chicago Public Library - American Indians in Children's Literature - Cooperative Children's Book Center Tightly woven Indigenous YA thriller that explores...
You're so amazing!
Catchpole, James
Paper Book
A Schneider Family Book Award Honor book! ​In this authentic and humorous picture book, a child with a limb difference is tired of being told how amazing he is for doing normal things. Joe and his friend Simone are practicing their best playground...
¡Fiesta! : a festival of colors
Tonatiuh, Duncan
Ebook
Explore a world of colors in ¡Fiesta!, a vibrant, bilingual picture book from award-winning author-illustrator Duncan Tonatiuh.   A celebratory bilingual concept picture book, this book of colors features a street fiesta with green avocados, yellow...

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