Book Recommendations

Books We Love

It’s Valentine’s Day – a day to celebrate what you love – and one of the things the CLiF team loves most is books! These beloved favorites will definitely outlast the chocolate we’re munching on today.   Duncan   A book that my family loves is Lost in Barrens by renowned Canadian writer Farley Mowat. The YA … Continued

Book Recommendations / Education

A Great Resource: The NCTE Children’s Book Awards

Recently, I just completed my fourth and final year on the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)’s Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction selection committee. While the award itself has been around for almost thirty years, it’s a “quiet” award that members of the CLiF community may not yet know about. The Orbis Pictus was … Continued

Book Recommendations

Inclusive New Reads

As we lean into the warmth of the changing seasons, I am excited to share some important new picture books on shelves now, or arriving very soon. These books are for the kids on the margins, and also for the rest of us learning how to be their best allies. The messages conveyed in these … Continued

Book Recommendations

Children’s Books to Open Hearts & Minds

I am writing this from my lovely little bubble of Bear Pond Books. I think we can all agree it’s been a busy, distracting fall. I know that my book reading time has taken a precipitous fall because of it. Time to dip back into the well of imagination, inspiration and contemplation. For our kids, reading … Continued

Book Recommendations

Celebrating Remarkable Women

This summer we’ve been basking in the glory of so many female heroes, in politics and in sports especially. I didn’t get to watch much of the summer Olympics, but I sure did read about many of the extraordinary feats of athleticism and personal, political and historic victory. Many of the young female athletes from … Continued

General / Book Recommendations

The Next Great Book: Summer Reading 2016

by Jane Knight – Bear Pond Books As I write this, there are four middle school kids hanging out in our play space in the Children’s Room at Bear Pond– ‘The Chicken Coop’—they are reading picture books to one another, laughing and reminiscing about their ‘childhood favorites’. I love that for these kids, there is … Continued

Book Recommendations

Maximizing Resources in Your Community

The Lake was placid, but a momentary commotion caused by a pair of loons who swooped down to breach the glass surface sent a wave of mirrored ripples across the lake. After the loons silent glide, they dove under the water for food, and all was calm again. Serenity. Despite the distraction of the amazing … Continued

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 Next Great Book: Summer Reading, Part Two

Last week I shared with you my new favorite indulgence – historical fiction! I gave you my top six recommendations, but they are far from the only good ones out there. On my bedside table, more historical fiction eagerly awaits: The Curious World of Calpurnia Tate by Jacqueline Kelly (a companion novel to The Evolution … Continued

Book Recommendations

The Next Great Book: Summer Reading, Part One

We recently held a book review event for our children’s librarians. We had a panel of four reviewers and talked about new fiction for middle grades through high school. As I was creating the list of books I wanted to review I realized with no small amount of shock that I had a long list … Continued

CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.

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