One of the best parts of my job is when I get to visit our literacy program partners and connect with them in person. Even better, when I get to deliver books to our partners. And top on the list? When I get to sit in on an author visit and help with a book giveaway to see the impact of a CLiF program firsthand.
I recently got to escape from my desk and do all of those things, plus enjoy a beautiful drive to Southern Vermont and New Hampshire on a crisp, clear fall day. I had a delightful roadtrip to visit Central Elementary School’s Year of the Book kickoff event with author/illustrator Marty Kelley. Located in the charming town of Bellows Falls, VT, Central is a preK-grade 4 school with about 140 students. During my visit, the kids got to pick out their first of eight new books that they will take home over the course of the Year of the Book grant at their school. In addition to book giveaways, the $25,000 grant provides the school with more author/illustrator visits, library and classroom books, enrichment mini grants, writing workshops, family literacy events, and a follow-up Momentum grant.
I learned during the book giveaway that these students really, really love books about cats and scary/creepy tales. They also loved Marty! (Who doesn’t?) While Marty is known to occasionally show up to CLiF events sporting a bright purple mohawk, I can confirm that he is currently without it, due to “cleaning himself up” for his son’s wedding this past summer.
Onward to the Rockingham Free Public Library for my next stop to pick up a box of leftover giveaway books from their CLiF Summer Readers grant. This library is one of four Carnegie libraries in Vermont and is a stately building of neoclassical design. How amazing is this inflatable stack of rainbow books outside their library? Plus the children’s room has a stunning, technicolor salt water aquarium worth seeing. It filled my heart with book nerd joy to find a flyer for the 1st Annual Bellows Falls Book Crawl, a community-wide celebration of books for National Literacy Month in September. A community that celebrates books is one worth writing about, in my humble literacy forward opinion.
Next, I headed to Shedd-Porter Memorial Library in Alstead, NH, a current Rural Library grantee for 2025-26. Library Director Alyson Montgomery graciously gave me a tour of the building, also of neoclassical design, which was gifted by a wealthy benefactor during the Gilded Age, and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. With its rotunda and domed ceiling, soaring above a floor inlaid with Siena marble mosaic tile, Shedd-Porter is a must-visit on any library tourist’s bucket list.
Alyson told me about how they regift donated used children’s books to the “book bus.” I was confused, thinking she meant a library bookmobile that I didn’t know about. But no! The school bus driver maintains a box of books that lives on the bus for kids to pick from; it’s very popular and a brilliant idea for getting books in the hands of kids.
Finally, I drove north to the Fiske Free Library in Claremont, NH to pick up giveaway books left over from their CLiF Summer Readers grant. Fiske is yet another beautiful neoclassical structure, built in 1903 with funding from Andrew Carnegie (there are nine Carnegie libraries in NH). Children’s Librarian Martha and I chatted about how much children love scary books, especially around the Halloween season, and she pointed out her flyer reminding adults that scary books have benefits for kids.
I arrived back home in Montpelier, VT just in time to greet my daughter coming off the bus after my full day of literacy programs and places. Coming up: Alburgh, VT or bust for my next Year of the Book visit!
