General / Book Recommendations
Happy Friday! We’re digging out after Vulcan dumped two feet of fresh snow over Vermont. Which means all this weekend we’ll be doing our two favorite activities: reading and skiing. Here are some clips from the last two weeks. Meredith found a lot happening in Ohio to help third graders pass reading tests: When more … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
If you live with a toddler, you’ve probably seen the blog Reasons my Son is Crying. You may have even submitted to it. I know. A typical conversation in my house goes something like this: Him: “Mama, please I can have a samich?” Me: “Sure. Do you want strawberry or raspberry jam?” Him: (Whining) “I not … Continued
If you’re a parent and your child is perpetually on the move, I can relate. My methodical, industrious two year old has snapped into a new state of existence defined by loud, energetic gross motor skills. Our afternoons, once spent quietly lining up Matchbox cars, are now full of jumping, running, soccer, roaring, and all-around … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
If you missed yesterday’s post on 2014 nonfiction books Jane’s excited about… click here. Moving on to fiction, it won’t take serious convincing to get any child to read Mo Willems’ latest Pigeon picture book, The Pigeon Needs a Bath. (“No. I do not.” says Pigeon.) However, it sounds like Pigeon is going … Continued
For many of us in the book world, January is a strange mix. We’re looking forward to new spring titles. And we’re pondering our favorite books from the previous year with delicious hand-wringing in anticipation of the American Library Association’s award ceremonies, announced at the end of this month. There are several bookstores, libraries, and … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
If you are a parent and… …your child is incessantly fighting a cold–and I mean incessantly–I can certainly empathize! Every week it’s a new sniffle, a different cough, or a virus you never knew existed. You watch the tissues creep to the top of the trash can, ready to cascade down and flood the bathroom. … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
Kitties always get a bad rap in fiction, don’t they? You never see an evil witch with a dog as a sidekick. Even when they are the heroes or heroines, cats tend to be portrayed as sarcastic, cranky, and self-centered. They are the David Spades of the animal world. In a household otherwise inundated with … Continued
There is something about the truly awesome body of children’s books that tempts people to try to separate the cream from the chum. It’s just irresistible. This week the New York Times noted two organizations that have recently published their lists of the 100 “best books” in children’s literature, the New York Public Library and … Continued
Reading specialists Kathryn Mullen, M.Ed. and Sue Megas-Russell, M.Ed. are the onsite coordinators for 2013-2014’s CLiF Year of the Book at Cutler Elementary School in West Swanzey, NH. Over this school year Kathryn and Sue will take turns guest blogging for CLiF. Their posts will provide insight into the creativity, attention, and heart that goes … Continued
Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and your child is afraid of the dark, then you probably find yourself in your child’s room more often than in your own throughout the night. You startle awake to the staring eyes of a toddler standing next to your bed. You have assured and reassured your youngster that there is … Continued
When I was a kid there was a vacant field in the middle of our block. It was a place from which almost all of us could hear our mothers calling when it was time for dinner, but it was hidden away just enough that we could pretend we didn’t. The best times were when … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
This is part 2 of a 2-part blog post. For part 1, click here. Trust me. As the Children’s Book Buyer at Bear Pond Books I’m right there with kids in the search for the “next great book.” Lucky for me, poring over publisher sales catalogs and getting advanced reader’s copies of books … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
Staff note: We are thrilled to welcome Jane Knight, Children’s Book Buyer for Bear Pond Books in Montpelier, VT and CLiF Advisor, as an occasional guest blogger. Jane’s focus is on finding the best kids’ books on the shelves via resources and reviews. This is part 1 of a 2-part blog post. I’m hoping … Continued
CLiF Spotlight / Book Recommendations
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
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 / Book Recommendations
The amount of thunder showers we are getting this summer seems a might bit excessive, wouldn’t you say? At our house, we have already sung, “rain, rain, go away,” until we are blue in the face. Ah well, I guess, when life gives you thunder storms the best thing to do is to make thunder … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
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
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
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