Pat Mora

Pat Mora, an award-winning author of books for children, teens and adults, is a literacy advocate and a popular presenter. Her new children's book, My Magic Wand: Growing with the Seasons, illustrated by Amber Alvarez, is published by Lee & Low Books. Among her other children’s books, many available in Spanish or bilingual editions, are My Singing Nana, Doña Flor: A Tall Tale about a Giant Woman with a Great Big Heart and Tomás and the Library Lady. Pat’s poetry collections for young readers include Bookjoy, Wordjoy; Water Rolls, Water Rises; Yum! ¡MmMm! ¡Qué Rico!; Confetti; and This Big Sky. Pat also wrote two collections for young adults, Dizzy in Your Eyes: Poems about Love written in the voices of teens, and My Own True Name. Pat’s honors include honorary doctorates from North Carolina State University and SUNY Buffalo, a lifetime achievement award from the Texas Institute of Letters, and the Virginia Hamilton Literary Award. She’s a lifetime member of the United States Board on Books for Young People (USBBY), an honorary member of the American Library Association, and she received a Kellogg National Leadership and a Poetry Fellowship from NEA. A literacy advocate excited about sharing what she calls “bookjoy,” in 1996, she founded Children’s Day, Book Day, in Spanish, El día de los niños, El día de los libros, “Día.” Pat and her partners including the American Library Association, REFORMA, NCTE and First Book nationally promote this year-long initiative of creatively linking all children and families to books and establishing annual April Children’s Day, Book Day celebrations. Pat’s Book Fiesta captures this bookjoy spirit. April 30, 2021 is the 25th anniversary of this initiative. Born in El Paso, Texas to a loving, bilingual family, Pat lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. Source

Words Free as Confetti

Come, words, come in your every color.

I’ll toss you in storm or breeze.

I’ll say, say, say you,

Taste you sweet as plump plums,

bitter as old lemons,

I’ll sniff you, words, warm

as almonds or tart as apple‐red,

feel you green

and soft as new grass,

lightweight as dandelion plumes,

or thorngray as cactus,

heavy as black cement,

cold blue as icicles,

warm as abuelita’s yellowlap.

I’ll hear you, words, loud as searoar’s

Purple crash, hushed

as gatitos curled in sleep,

as the last goldlullaby.

I’ll see you long and dark as tunnels,

bright as rainbows,

playful as chestnutwind.

I’ll watch you, words, rise and dance

and spin.

I’ll say, say, say you

in English,

in Spanish,

I’ll find you.

Hold you.

Toss you.

I’m free too.

I say yo soy libre,

I am free

free, free,

free as confetti.

Published:

1996

Length:

Regular

Literary Movements:

Contemporary

Anthology Years:

2022

Themes:

Ars Poetica

Education & Learning

Joy & Praise