On January 29, 2014, Duncan got lost on his way to Bethlehem Public Library. You would think he’d know how to get there–CLiF has awarded Bethlehem a Rural Libraries sponsorship three times since 2003. But he walked into the building it shared with the town offices, and there it was… gone. Turns out this town … Continued
Good morning! Here are some stories we liked this week: This thoughtful op-ed in Minnesota’s Star-Tribune. Literacy tutor Kris Potter muses on the power of learning to read with real books: “The tangible benefits of reading (real) books to kids” “Love cracks the code, creates curiosity, sustains attention and eventually lays knowledge at their feet … Continued
Valentine’s Day/Nor’easter edition! Just got in from shoveling, so let’s start with a pick-me up: Those kids reading aloud to shelter cats that went viral this week. The Animal Rescue League of Berks County, PA started a Book Buddies program when their program coordinator noticed her son preferred reading to a feline audience. From their website: … Continued
Winter is in full swing here in northern Vermont. When life hands you snow, make a snowcone. Isn’t that what they say? Here are some links we liked this week: Cartoonist and CLiF presenter Marek Bennett has just returned from Nicaragua, where he documented the coffee harvest with help from some local kids. It’s worth … Continued
The big news in children’s literature this week was the American Library Association Youth Media Awards (ALAYMA, or #alayma). Featured on the red carpet this year: a superhero squirrel, a locomotive, the Gaither sisters, and many more great books. We’re particularly proud of CLiF presenter Tanya Lee Stone, who netted a YALSA honor for Courage … Continued
Trying something new here in the CLiF office. We’re tuned in to literacy news from near and far, and there are great stories every day out there about reading, writing, and books. So in the spirit of sharing resources, every week (mostly) we’ll post a mini library of links to stories we like. If you … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / How You Can Help
Above: Joan Eldred, Hiata DeFeo, and Duncan celebrate Bridgeside Books’ Giving Tree book drive: the Waterbury bookstore collected 320 books to benefit CLiF. We don’t have all the books counted yet, but I can’t wait to tell you. This holiday season, book drives brought in more than 800 books to give kids served through … Continued
CLiF serves many thousands of children each year across New Hampshire and Vermont – a service area of 19,000 square miles.
We gave four presentations to a total of 135 inmates about the significant positive impact that sharing books regularly can have on their children’s development, and ways to make reading fun and easy even if the parent is not a strong reader.
General / CLiF Spotlight / How You Can Help
I love children’s books. Two perks of my job are maintaining CLiF’s inventory of books and ordering titles for our book giveaways. Around the end of the year I take stock of books bound for daycare centers, afterschool programs, schools, and other program sites. And I always come to the same conclusion: CLiF needs more … Continued
With Thanksgiving upon us, this is the perfect time of year to start gratitude journals. Shown to improve attitude and well-being, gratitude journals are a great way to help your child practice writing and focus on life’s simple joys. What’s more, they can be tailored for all ages and abilities, and working on journals makes … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / How You Can Help
It’s snowing in Waterbury Center! Here in the CLiF office, we’re thinking about warm beverages. More importantly, we’re working with the communities we serve to ensure children participating in CLiF programs have new books in time for the holidays. This is what $25 brings a low-income, at-risk, or rural New Hampshire or Vermont child: A … Continued
I have a theory that everyone who loves reading also has their own book kicking around in their imagination. It’s simple: reading other people’s stories empowers us to tell our own. I would bet every one of us — faced with an incredible real-life situation, waking up from a dream, looking up an interesting fact … Continued
Last week Mediabistro’s Galleycat blog released a post with a headline that sent hearts fluttering through the CLiF office: ‘Pleasure Reading “Significantly” Increases School Performance‘ The post is in reference to a study by the Institute of Education at the University of London. From the study: “The IOE study, which is believed to be the … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / How You Can Help
The 75 members of the First Church in Jaffrey, NH are an energetic group of individuals who feel that they should demonstrate not only in words, but also in deeds, their love for their fellow human beings and the planet around us.
One goal of CLiF’s Year of the Book program is to help teachers engage students with reading and writing in new and creative ways. To that end we offer mini-grants to teachers in Year of the Book schools to develop projects that meet this goal. This past school year one of my favorites came from … 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
Fifteen years ago CLiF’s very first literacy program supported rural public libraries. We’re delighted to once again offer the Rural Library Sponsorship and support public libraries and schools in New Hampshire and Vermont’s small towns. CLiF is accepting applications through September 16, 2013. Twin States public libraries in towns of 5,000 or fewer residents with … Continued
CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.