General / Book Recommendations
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
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
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
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 / Book Recommendations
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
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
General / Book Recommendations
At our house no one is ever hungry, they are “staaarving!” No one is ever tired, they are “exhaaaausted!” That’s how we roll. To just say things straight would be “sooo incredibly booooring!” And we are not just prone to hyperbole either, we like all types of colorful language, especially idioms. Idioms like… Quit dilly-dallying … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
Recently, while at the library seeking new reading material for my son, Emmett, two books jumped out at me. Each had an enticing title, intriguing subject matter, and captivating imagery. And Then It’s Spring and Peaceful Piggy Meditation grabbed my interest, and without hesitation, I checked them out and nestled them into our stroller. Though the books are … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
Time magazine recently reported on “Why Math Is the Hot New Bedtime Reading.” WHAT? Everyone knows how we here at CLiF feel about books and reading. And I have a particular soft spot for the soothing, relaxing, entertaining bedtime read. I mean, I have been reading my kids into a sleepy stupor for as long … Continued
Recently, the CLiF team visited Newbury Elementary School in Newbury, VT. NES is one of six elementary schools in Vermont and New Hampshire that have received CLiF’s Year of the Book grants. Year of the Book provides around $25,000 worth of fun literacy-based programs, support, and free new books for students to choose and keep … Continued
Love is amazing for many, many reasons. One reason is that love is one of the very few things in life that you get more of when you give it away. Typically speaking, when you give away your cookies, you have fewer cookies. If you give away your time, you run out of time. But … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
In 1967 artist Leo Lionni wrote a beautiful book about a little mouse named Frederick. Instead of working like the other mice to gather food and straw for the long winter, Frederick sat quietly soaking up the rays of the sun. When the other mice asked Frederick why he did not work, he explained, I … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
Do you know how some literature channels your perspective outward, forcing you to examine the world that you live in? It might challenge your assumptions about something outside of yourself and contribute to the way you view the world and your role in it. Other books force you to look inward and examine your own … Continued
As you have probably guessed by now, the CLiF staff is a small community of readers within itself. In our lives beyond children’s literature, we chat about the books we enjoy, circulate must-reads (oftentimes children’s literature), and recommend favorite titles to one another or for each other’s families. We have a vast array of interests … Continued
My kids have been pressing me lately for an explanation. Some books have found their way into our home and my girls just LOVE them… and I don’t (to put it mildly). “Why, Mommy? Why don’t you like Barbie Princess Charm School?” “Why won’t you read the Rainbow Fairy book again?” “Why do you always … Continued
I love a good bookstore. If I am visiting a town and I’ve heard about a cozy, quirky or otherwise interesting locally owned bookstore, you better believe I’m going to make some time to check it out. Luckily for me, I live in an area of Vermont that offers a plethora of bookstores to cater … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
A few months ago I tasked our readers with an important assignment: help me find books that I can read repeatedly without losing my sanity. For those of you who missed my first blog post, feel free to read it here. The gist of my request was that I now have a (just-about-in-only-one-week-where-did-the-time-go) two-year-old who has … Continued
Are you familiar with Patricia Polacco? I hope you are. I have been in love with her beautiful, funny, moving, and meaningful books for years. My all time favorite is The Bee Tree in which a little girl, with the help of her grandfather and some bees, learns that the “adventure, knowledge, and wisdom of … Continued
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