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CLiF Spotlight / Book Recommendations

The Big Book Order

Here’s a peek behind the scenes in the CLiF office. Julia is busy assembling a huge book order for CLiF’s fall programs through our partner First Book. It’s a thoughtful process. Lots of kids in New Hampshire and Vermont are interested in hunting, animals, and nature, so she’s including Tracking and Reading Sign by Len McDougall … Continued

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Book Recommendations

A Book First Graders Fight Over

Sometimes it can be tough to get new readers to read on their own. Many beginning reader books are too complicated, too simple, or just plain don’t make sense. To be fair, it is really difficult to write a good story and stick within the necessary parameters for new readers: simple vocabulary, understandable content, and … Continued

General / CLiF Spotlight

Summer Readers Underway!

48 different children’s summer programs across Vermont and New Hampshire. 3,300 kids. Two free books per child. That’s a lot of books. No wonder the CLiFmobile just needed its shocks replaced. Rec program at the Barre Municipal Pool in Barre, VT From June through August, CLiF’s Summer Readers program visits lunch programs, low-income summer camps, and … Continued

CLiF Spotlight

Welcome CLiF Nonprofit Fellow Katie Gunn

Katie Gunn is a native Vermonter who works for the management consulting firm Oliver Wyman in New York City. The firm’s Nonprofit Fellowship Program allows its consultants to take several months to work closely with a nonprofit anywhere in the world. Katie will lend her expertise to CLiF from July through October. Tell us a … Continued

General

Top Ten Reasons Reading Is Better Than Watching TV

1)      If you fall asleep while reading you don’t miss anything.   2)      It’s quiet. 3)      You can do it ANYWHERE including places with no cell service, electricity, wifi, or satellite transmission.   4)      It’s private, just you and the author linking minds and ideas.   5)      It’s free with a library card, and sometimes … Continued

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General / Book Recommendations

Get Out! Ideas for Bringing Books Outside This Summer

With the promise of summer weather on the horizon, I’ve started to contemplate fun ways to bring our reading outdoors on warm, sunny days. Luckily with the world of Pinterest and creative blogs, I found a wealth of ideas for summer literacy activities. Unfortunately, children that don’t read and write during the summer months experience … Continued

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General

A Life History in Book Titles

Did you ever wonder what story your book collection tells about you? We recently had a This is Your Life experience when our basement flooded and our 22 year old son’s stashed belongings exploded into our living space. His high school bedroom had been in our basement, so he had bookshelves of titles – plus … Continued

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General / CLiF Spotlight / How You Can Help

Summertime Reading Contest

Got a “summer reader” in your life? How would he or she like a bundle of brand new books to read on the beach, at the playground, in a treehouse, or anywhere inviting this summer? Enter our Summertime Reading Contest on Facebook for a chance to win 15 brand new books and give other children … Continued

Book Recommendations

To Dogs Everywhere and the Children Who Love Them

To dogs everywhere! Nobody captures the sweetness and humor of the family dog better than Vermont author Stephen Huneck. His work is a celebration of what it is to love and be loved by a dog. While the title character of Huneck’s books is his own black lab, Sally, the star of the show is … Continued

General / Book Recommendations

Dr. Seuss and the Great Reading Debate

If you have ever had a small child living in your home, chances are there are several Dr. Seuss books lying around. He is, after all, the best-selling children’s author of all time. Did you ever notice, though, that there are two different types Dr. Seuss books? Quite frankly, until recently, I did not. In 1937, … Continued

Book Recommendations

Making Sense of the World Through Reading

My girls are trying to figure out life by living, learning, testing, playing, fighting, and reading. Reading is the cool trick we do every night before bed. After a long day of living, learning, testing, playing and fighting, it’s like a much needed form of therapy, but the relaxing, entertaining variety (if there is such … Continued

Book Recommendations / How You Can Help

Kids, Food, Cooking, and Books

I imagine a long time ago, cavemen and women gave their cave children some food, whatever it may have been, and those cave children duly ate it. Task accomplished. Done. Now everyone start looking for more. Here in America in 2013 things are a might bit different. Just a might. Now that we live in … Continued

General / Book Recommendations

Spring Takes Its Time

Oh, the cruel and fickle ways of spring! How it one day inspires such hope and joy and enthusiasm, then the next it spits snow in your face and mocks you in your optimistic, non-down jacket. The slant of the sun, the extended daylight, the intermittent peeps of warmth, all turn you against what were … Continued

General / CLiF Spotlight

The Creators of The Expeditioners Visit Students in Newbury, VT

Flight goggles firmly on their heads, Vermont author and CLiF presenter SS Taylor and New York City illustrator Katherine Roy voyaged to the Newbury Elementary School in Newbury, VT last Friday to give three presentations to all the students from Grade 1 to Grade 6 about the multi-year process they navigated to create their new epic children’s book The Expeditioners.

General / Book Recommendations

Opening Day Sunday!!!

People, it’s almost over!!! Winter is almost over! I did not learn this from the Weather Channel, the Farmer’s Almanac, Punxsutawney Phil or the calendar. I can see the light at the end of the tunnel because I know that Sunday is… OPENING DAY OF BASEBALL SEASON!!!! Nothing says summer like the roar of the … Continued

General / Book Recommendations

About Jon Klassen

We at CLiF don’t usually talk about people behind their backs, but, um, can we talk about Jon Klassen for a minute? Okay, are you aware that he won, not one, but two Caldecott Awards this year? Who does that? Honestly, where did this guy come from? What? Oh. Canada, of course. Right. Did you … Continued

CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.

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