Picture: Books — Happy Halloween!
Wishing you a fun and spooky Halloween! Check out our list for some great Halloween book ideas.
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Articles by CLiF Staff
General / Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
If you are a parent and… you need the toy to end all toys
It’s a drizzly, dreary afternoon. The blocks have towered and the cars have raced and the crayons have drawn. But it’s still drizzly and dreary. Cue the whining. My son’s new favorite I’m-bored-phrase is “but who will play with me?” That’s when it’s time for the box. You don’t need movies or video games or intricate … Continued
Guest post: Encouraging a love of books from behind bars
We are thrilled to have a guest post today from Deb Nelson, CLiF board member and AP English teacher at Lebanon High School. This past Friday I was picked up in the misty gray morning by my fellow board member, Jess Eakin, for our drive south to Concord where we spent the day in prison. As many readers … Continued
Oct. 10 Friday Links Library
Good morning! In children’s literacy news this week: Teachers, librarians, booksellers, take note: via Publishers Weekly‘s Shelftalker blog, Josie Leavitt has great ideas for how bookstores can host successful teacher nights. Josie (of the Flying Pig in Shelburne, dear to my heart) throws credit to Karen Rosenthal of RJ Julia Booksellers in Madison, CT (also dear … Continued
Sept. 26 Friday Links Library
September is coming to a close. The CLiF Year of the Book has been successfully launched in eight elementary schools, and schools that saw 80% or more of families commit to regularly reading together are getting ice cream socials. Rural Libraries kickoffs are coming up next. And in the office, we’re assembling the newsletter, preparing for the … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
If you are a parent and Grandma lives far away…
When it comes to good grandmas, my son, Emmett, hit the jackpot. Twice. He inherited not one but two nurturing grandmothers who ooze affection for him and are thrilled to spend every waking moment giving him attention and endless snuggles. But where Emmett’s winnings failed him is that both of his grandmothers live TOO FAR AWAY. … Continued
Sept. 12 Friday Links Library
Wow, it’s been a busy, fun month. Over the past two weeks six of our eight CLiF Year of the Book schools had kickoff celebrations, and next week we’re finishing the tour in Laconia and Manchester, NH. That means I’ve had little backlog in the links I collect for this occasional Friday Links Library series. So you’re getting … Continued
Picture: Books — Back to School Bus
CLiF wishes kids, parents, teachers, librarians, and school staff a great first week of school! Illustration by Grace Ahmed
Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… you’re raising a sensitive child
You may witness a multitude of emotions within any given day – unfettered giggles rising from deep in his belly, tender moments of quiet affection, loud protests of untamable anger, and tears of heartbreaking sadness. Sure, all toddlers carry a strain of drama queen. At least half the time my son cries, his crocodile … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / Book Recommendations
August 8 Friday Links Library
I’m so excited: I’m reading the manuscript of a friend’s just-finished mystery novel. I love reading more than pretty much any other activity (besides, maybe, eating), and reading a friend’s work — especially when it’s great — is so much fun. The dialogue! The suspense! The inside jokes! I’m very proud of him for having the focus … Continued
August 1 Friday Links Library
The Friday Links Library has been enjoying its summer vacation. We’re back this week with a short edition… Yesterday was Harry Potter’s (and J. K. Rowling’s) birthday, marking 16 years since readers first met the boy wizard. A recent study suggests that reading Harry Potter makes children more empathetic or tolerant toward minority groups or people … Continued
General / Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… your toddler is toying with naughty words
…then you are quite familiar with “the look. It’s no longer the oblivious, “Gee, climbing on top of the couch is such fun!” expression. At least that one carried pure ignorance to the actual danger or unlawfulness of the behavior. No, this “look” is a new level of testing, of pushing boundaries of which he … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / How You Can Help
Share your favorite summer book!
Remember the book you read one summer? You never forgot how it made you feel. Maybe you shared it with your own children. Since May we’ve been keeping a list collecting your favorite summer reads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Yu9ulw3YYs&w=400&h=300&rel=0 Now, for just $5 per book, you can share your favorite with a child served through CLiF’s Summer Readers programs. CLiF will serve 3,700 … Continued
June 20 Friday Links Library
Ahh, summer sun! We’re soaking up the vitamin D, smelling the peonies, mixing the lemonade, and planning weekend beach reads. Here are a few links that caught our eyes this week: CLiF advisor Michele Tine has published new research showing that after a few minutes of aerobic exercise low-income kids score better on reading comprehension tests. … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / Book Recommendations
Which is better: the book or the movie?
Harry Potter. The Hunger Games. The current nationwide phenomenon The Fault In Our Stars. Classics coming soon to the big screen: The Great Gilly Hopkins and The Giver. And way back when, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, and in the beginning, The Wizard of Oz. Great children’s books have always been made into beloved movies. Still, the TFIOS … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / Book Recommendations
Friday Links Library: The YA Debate
All about YA today. Because our focus is on kids from birth through age 12, we give away more board, picture, early chapter, and middle grade books than we do YA. But we do keep some on our shelves, we read it, and we keep our antennae up for what’s happening. And friends, YA is happening. So … Continued
June 6 Friday Links Library
June is here! We’re celebrating lots of grant program finales and are gearing up for summer… Summer Readers in particular. Let’s take a breather to catch up on some literacy news. Just in time for Father’s Day next weekend, here’s the #DadsRead campaign. The campaign, “designed to encourage fathers to read with their kids and celebrate dads who … Continued
If you’re *almost* a parent and you want to start good reading habits…
My husband Tom and I are expecting our first baby in July. As the current Program Manager here at CLiF, I get to see on a daily basis the positive impact that strong reading habits have on children and families. But, like most first-time parents, I’m also getting a healthy dose of information and advice from … Continued