Happy Holidays!
Wishing you a peaceful and joyful holiday season!
What’s New
Articles by CLiF Staff
General / Book Recommendations
The Next Great Book: Holiday List
Our good friend Jane Knight at Bear Pond Books in Montpelier has done it again! Here is her list of recommended children’s and young adult books for this holiday season. Gift Ideas You’ve all asked for more Harry Potter “stuff” and this is the year for that! British artist Jim Kay has been commissioned to illustrate … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
The Left and the Right: How Books Are Helping Kids with STEM
Exclusively written for CLiF By TheLearningBlock For the longest time, many had believed that an affinity for math and science and an affinity for the humanities had been mutually exclusive, and this had been attributed to the fact that we are either left-brained, or right-brained, depending on which hemisphere of our brain is more active. … Continued
Manchester, NH Refugees Celebrate Literacy with CLiF
By Terry Farish on November 19th, 2015 Tonight I told a story for a CLiF literacy event at the International Institute in Manchester, NH. The International Institute helps refugees to resettle and Amadou Hamady and his staff wrote a grant to support English language literacy. They won the grant and CLiF funded many things including my … Continued
Reading is Magical
Reading is Magical Original Artwork by Grace Ahmed
The Delivery Boy
By Simon Brooks As a storyteller I travel to many different schools and colleges, libraries, birthday parties, summer camps, business retreats, and private events. As a result I see a great many people from all walks of life, especially younger people. I have seen and performed for both the rich and economically challenged and learned … Continued
Back to the Books
Have a Happy Back to School! Original Artwork by Grace Ahmed
Broaching through Books
By Caroline Jones This past Sunday, I was driving back from Maine and passing the time in traffic with the wonderful podcast “This American Life”. One of the episodes, “The Birds & The Bees”, explored the complexities of explaining all kinds of difficult issues to young children. W. Kamau Bell, a comedian and father, was … Continued
Last Rays of Summer Reading
Enjoy those last rays. Happy Reading! Original Artwork by Grace Ahmed
Mr. Tim’s Bike
By Caroline Jones Let me begin by saying that “Mr. Tim’s Bike” sounds like an awesome children’s book, and someone should get started on writing it right now. We can talk later about splitting the profits. So here’s the deal: Mr. Tim is a para-educator at J. J. Flynn Elementary School in Burlington, and I … Continued
If you’re a parent and…your child has no imaginary friend
Like countless other children, my son recently saw the acclaimed new Disney Pixar movie, Inside Out. And like countless other parents, I quietly wept through just about the entire movie. Among the many striking moments, characters, and messages in the film was one specific creature who got me thinking – Bing Bong, the since-forgotten imaginary … Continued
Cure for Jet Lag
By Caroline Jones Someone once told me that the best way to cure jet lag is to spend a day surrounded by high-energy children, bumping around the state of Vermont from one CLiF event to the next like a pinball whose internal clock is seven hours ahead. I’m not sure how medically sound that advice … Continued
Growing up CLiF
By Caroline Jones, CLiF’s Summer Intern I know what you’re thinking: “Who is that budding reader and aspiring politician in the blue dress in the front row? Why is she in this group of small children holding books with pre-scream Governor Dean in this painfully ‘90’s photo?” Fear not, faithful readers. ‘Tis I, Caroline, CLiF’s … Continued
Books Abroad
Embarking for a recent family vacation, I knew that books would be an important ingredient for the first international trip with my nine-month-old daughter, Nora. Six flights and countless retellings of The Pout-Pout Fish later, I was grateful for the durability of the humble board book. What I didn’t count on, however, was that books … Continued
Mothers and Kids: Togetherness
At CLiF, much of our work occurs behind the scenes. We spend many hours scheduling events, organizing logistics, communicating with coordinators who are on the ground in various communities throughout Vermont and New Hampshire. While we love what we do, nothing compares to hanging up the phone, logging off our email, and stepping out from … Continued
Spread the Word: CLiF is seeking a summer intern
The Children’s Literacy Foundation (CLiF) is looking for an energetic, intelligent, and motivated Summer Intern. This individual will receive an in-depth introduction to how a busy and productive non-profit is run. CLiF seeks an intern with a strong interest in literacy and children to work in the Waterbury Center office on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays … Continued
Sustaining Momentum through Creativity
What do skiing, books, and microcontrollers all have in common? The CLiF Community Literacy Conference, of course! In all honesty, the skiing was only a background as attendees sat slopeside in the conference room at The Mountain Club on Loon. While the spring skiers glided past the window, teachers, principals, librarians, and other eager past, … Continued
If you’re a parent and…you’ve got a slugger
Well, maybe not a “slugger.” More like a clunker. His pitching is anything but fast, his tiny hands can barely close his glove, let alone catch with it, and he usually forgets to run the bases when his bat finally makes contact with the ball. No matter. It’s baseball season, and my son is itching … Continued