Spanish-speaking authors and songwriters brought a bilingual storytime event to the Provo City Library that encouraged attendees — especially young children — to embrace other cultures and learn important values.
Alianza Latina para el Avance Social is a nonprofit organization that helps the Latino community to thrive in America while encouraging parents to teach their children positive values. The bilingual storytime event is one of many initiatives the nonprofit organizes to foster unity.
Karent Monroy, the founder of the organization, shared her motivation for starting the nonprofit.
“It’s a very big dream. We would love to help the entire Latin community to heal and break the cycle (of violence). To avoid violence in raising kids and also, if we can just touch one life, one kid, with our resources and programs where they can avoid child abuse, that is enough,” Monroy said.
Authors Valeria Núñez Cortés and Bella Díaz read their children’s books in Spanish, alternating with a translator who read the stories in English. Miriam Umana, a songwriter and storyteller, performed her original songs during storytime.
Cortés said her children inspired her to write books. She wanted them to have access to inspiring stories in their native language.
Umana said she realized she could instill positive values in children through her music and stories in Spanish.
“My music is in Spanish, but it is very simple, so any child can learn Spanish through my music,” Díaz said.
Díaz said she wants to teach children healthy habits through her music.
Díaz, who is also a book publisher, explained why events like this matter.
“We are here to help parents and children develop the habit of reading good books,” Díaz said.
