The Santa Barbara Public Library’s April 29 celebration of El día de los niños/El día de los libros (Children’s Day/Book Day) will include readings from works by the late Chilean author and poet Gabriela Mistral, who was the first South American woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Mistral (pen name Lucila Godoy y Alcayaga) was a part-time Santa Barbara resident.

The event at 11 a.m. at the Eastside Library, 1102 E. Montecito St., will include a talk about Mistral’s life as an educator, her time in Santa Barbara, and her love of California nature. The talk will be followed by dancing and crafts.

At the Central Library, 40 E. Anapamu St., Children’s Day/Book Day activities will include bilingual storytime, music with Nathalia, face-painting and crafts from 11 a.m.-2 p.m.

Día is a nationally recognized 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 common goals of all Día programming are to:

» Celebrate children and connect them to the world of learning through books, stories and libraries.
» Recognize and respect culture, heritage and language as powerful tools for strengthening families and communities.
» Nurture cognitive and literacy development in ways that honor and embrace a child’s home language and culture.
» Introduce families to community resources that provide opportunities for learning through multiple literacies.

Information about Santa Barbara Public Library System locations, hours, events and programs is available at SBPLibrary.org. All library programs are free and open to the public.

— Molly Wetta for city of Santa Barbara.