CLiF Spotlight: The Man Behind the Book Nook at UVM
On May 14, Gretchen, Julia, and I attended the Vermont Businesses for Social Responsibility (VBSR)
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CLiF Spotlight: A Picture Says 1,000 Words
On May 10, Meredith and I went to Kids Day in Burlington, Vermont’s Battery Park. Hundreds of kids (and quite a few parents) stopped by our booth to write poems using magnetic poetry and their imaginations. Everyone who wrote a poem got to choose a book to take home. Here are a few young poets with their masterpieces. … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / Book Recommendations
May 16 Friday Links Library
Lots of news over the past two weeks! Here’s the roundup: First, happy Children’s Book Week! In the brilliant ideas department: Florida kids (and Salt Lake City, and a few others) with overdue books are allowed to read down their library fines–instead of having their borrowing cut off until they scrape together fees. Way to keep the library accessible to the … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / Book Recommendations
CLiF Spotlight: What makes a great summer book?
We’re starting to think about summer. Specifically: favorite summer books. Recently, this conversation sparked a debate among CLiF’s voracious readers: What makes a book a great summer book? Is it a picture book, like Blueberries for Sal, that captures the long, hot days of the season? Is it a classic book you associate with read-alouds and campfires, like Treasure Island? Is … Continued
General / Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… making up stories doesn’t come naturally
I love a good story. But making them up on the spot doesn’t come naturally to me. I dread when my child asks “tell me a story.” She usually asks when I feel least creative – driving to school, waiting in the doctor’s office, or sitting in her bed in the middle of the night after … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / Book Recommendations
May 2 Friday Links Library
You may have noticed I’ve been following the growing outcry over the lack of diversity in children’s books in these Friday posts. Over the last several days, authors and readers all over the world began demanding wider representation from publishing companies and pledging to buy and read books that represent our world’s diverse cast of real-life characters. To … Continued
Middle Ground: Making Noise in the Library
Every couple of months, I meet and discuss books with a group of some of the most critical and thoughtful readers I know. They’re insightful, articulate, and extremely smart. They’re also in grades 4 through 8.
CLiF Spotlight: Why We Love Reptiles
We love reptiles because kids love reptiles. And when third, fourth, fifth, and sixth graders know they’re going to meet some snakes, you can bet they’re excited to read about snakes. Cutler School in West Swanzey, NH is a 2013-2014 CLiF Year of the Book school. Literacy teachers and Year of the Book coordinators … Continued
Happy Birthday, William Shakespeare!
When daffodils begin to peer, With heigh! the doxy over the dale, Why, then comes in the sweet o’ the year; For the red blood reigns in the winter’s pale. The Winter’s Tale (4.3.1-4) Happy Birthday, Bill!
April 18 Friday Links Library
It’s National Library Week! This week celebrates our public and school libraries as trusted, relevant, and committed community resources and raises awareness of challenges libraries face. CLiF is honored to partner with many rural libraries that bring incredible value to their communities–often on shoestring budgets. This week the American Libraries Association (ALA) released the State … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
April 11 Friday Links Library
Could it be? Is that… sun? Are those… green sprouts coming out of the ground? Here are a few notable stories we saw over the past several sunny, springy days: Charlotte Albright of Vermont Public Radio visited Lowell, VT to talk with CLiF Year of the Book students and Natalie Kinsey-Warnock about their Story Keepers … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… you’re looking up the family tree
A very talented friend of mine designs modern family trees, and when I had my child, I decided to get her one. This turned into a much bigger project than I expected. I was so thankful that family members have been collecting my family’s and my husband’s lineage. I love the design and the history in … Continued
March 28 Friday Links Library
March. In like a lion, out like a… cold wet lion. Couple of goodies for your Friday Links Library this week: From WBUR’s On Point: host Tom Ashbrook on Goodnight Moon and the University of Wisconsin study we noted last week. The discussion asks “what we seek and share in young children’s books.” With guests … Continued
CLiF Spotlight: Keeping Family Stories Alive
Probably most adults could not coherently discuss the differences between the 1840 and 1860 census how a daguerreotype differs from a tintype or the repercussions of the 1890 census being destroyed in a Department of Commerce fire. But the children of Island Pond and Lowell, Vermont can. Funded in part by CLiF Year of the … Continued
March 21 Friday Links Library
Happy Spring! Kind of. Nobody’s putting their skis away around here. Lots of interesting tidbits in the news this week. Here’s the roundup: Last week, the New York Times printed op-eds by father and son authors Walter Dean Myers and Christopher Myers on why we all critically need to see children of color better represented in … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
March 14 Friday Links Library
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
Middle Ground: How the DCF List Process Works (and why I had 10 boxes of books in my living room)
You might not know how the list is selected and why my living room was so cluttered.
CLiF is Hiring!
Are you an enthusiastic, organized professional with program planning experience and a love of literacy? CLiF seeks a part-time Programs Manager to coordinate some of CLiF’s literacy programs across Vermont and New Hampshire. CLiF has a small, committed staff and a 16-year history of substantial growth and results. This position manages CLiF’s At-Risk, Summer Readers, … Continued