by Priscilla Delgado, Bowie Elementary, San Marcos Consolidated ISD; member Tomas Rivera Award committee 2017. Also: TALL Texans Class of 2016, Teacher Day @ TLA Task Force, Tejas Star Reading List committee
#ThrowbackThursday – 1996, sitting in a dimly lit auditorium surrounded by my classmates, anticipating the presentation that was about to start. There was lively music, clapping, lots of smiling faces, so much excitement. I was extremely curious about what was to come next and why all the adults seemed so excited, but my 13-year-old self was too shy to start partaking in the fun. I just knew that something amazing was coming.
A few minutes later, someone came on stage and welcomed everyone to the 1st annual Tomás Rivera Mexican-American Children’s Book Award presentation. There was a roar of applause. The speaker shared how this award was created by the Southwest Texas State University College of Education to honor authors and illustrators who create literature that depicts the Mexican-American experience. They said the award was named after an author and distinguished alumnus of Southwest Texas State (now Texas State University) and countless people were thanked for making this day possible. I was among a few hundred grade school students brought in from nearby schools to attend the award ceremony.
After the introductions came the authors. There were 2 authors receiving this brand-new award, Rudolfo Anaya and Gary Soto. At the time I wasn’t familiar with Rudolfo Anaya’s books, but I knew many of Gary Soto’s works. He was the author of Too Many Tamales, one of the first books I remember reading as a child that reflected something I could connect with – a Mexican-American family on Christmas Eve making tamales. Growing up in the 90’s, I was an avid reader, but I rarely saw myself in any of the characters and books that I read. But in Gary Soto’s books, I could always identify with something that reminded me of my family, my upbringing, that struck a chord with me. When Gary Soto took the stage, I was completely mesmerized. Here, in front of me, in the flesh, was the author who shared my story, nuestra historia, whose works reflected the Hispanic experience. After the presentation, we had the opportunity to meet the authors. My heart was pounding the whole time I talked to Gary Soto. He autographed my well-worn copy of Baseball in April, which I still have. That day, my first encounter with an author, is a day that I have never forgotten.
Flash forward to present-day: The Tomás Rivera Award is still thriving and is in its 22nd year at Texas State University. The award has evolved over the years, now recognizing an outstanding book for younger readers (up to age 12) and for older readers (ages 13-18) every year. The book award ceremony is held every fall at Texas State University, and, like when the award started, hundreds of students from surrounding schools come to Texas State to attend the ceremony. Students, teachers, librarians, and guests have the opportunity to see the award presentation and meet the author. In the weeks leading up to the award, schools will begin a book and/or author study of the award winners. Original student work is displayed at the award ceremony and is always a point of pride for those participating students and schools.
In 2015, the Tomás Rivera Award held a 20th anniversary literature fair, similar to the Texas Book Festival but on a smaller and more intimate scale. All the authors who have received the award within the past decade plus a few from the earlier years were on-hand at the San Marcos Public Library for the literature fair to do book readings, autographs, and lead conversations on trends and issues in the literature world. This event was free and open to the public. San Marcos CISD participated by having each campus adopt a book, engaging in a campus-wide book study, and creating props and materials for a book parade that was held during the literature fair. As the school librarian at Bowie Elementary in San Marcos CISD, this project was dear to my heart, and it was a beautiful experience seeing my students prepare for the parade, getting to interact with the authors, and most importantly, finding reflections of themselves among the books they were reading. I feel privileged to have been at the first award ceremony and to have witnessed the growth of this award and celebration. There is already talk about what kind of festivities will be planned for the 25th anniversary of the award.
Have you attended one of the award ceremonies? This would be a perfect opportunity to take students on a field trip to Texas State University and participate in the book award presentation. This year’s award ceremony is scheduled for Wednesday, November 1. The Tomás Rivera Award winners will also be at the Texas Book Festival in Austin. Keep this event in mind! For more information, visit the Rivera Book Award website.
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