General / Book Recommendations
Graphic Novels Are “Real Books”
Graphic novels are real books, and they’re a great choice.
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Happy Valentine’s Day!
A Valentine’s Day homage to Mo Willems.
If You’re a Parent and…You Have an Hour
I volunteer in the school library every Friday afternoon. A few weeks ago, my scheduled time overlapped with a special program called “I Can Hour.” Because the school librarian did the bulk of the event’s organization, I was pressed into service. That Friday it was Zumba, not book check out for me. This event required … Continued
If You’re a Parent and…You Want to Reward Bravery
In December, I took my seven-year-old daughter to her second Tae Kwon Do tournament. She got hooked through a school PE class, and because she was six when she started, I initially had to participate with her. I quickly realized this was not for me, but gladly supported her as she continued and appreciated the … Continued
Happy Holidays!
Wishing you a peaceful and joyful holiday season!
General / Book Recommendations
The Next Great Book: Holiday List
Our good friend Jane Knight at Bear Pond Books in Montpelier has done it again! Here is her list of recommended children’s and young adult books for this holiday season. Gift Ideas You’ve all asked for more Harry Potter “stuff” and this is the year for that! British artist Jim Kay has been commissioned to illustrate … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
The Left and the Right: How Books Are Helping Kids with STEM
Exclusively written for CLiF By TheLearningBlock For the longest time, many had believed that an affinity for math and science and an affinity for the humanities had been mutually exclusive, and this had been attributed to the fact that we are either left-brained, or right-brained, depending on which hemisphere of our brain is more active. … Continued
Books – Food for the Heart
Reading is more than just good for the mind. It’s good for the heart. It’s good for the world.
Manchester, NH Refugees Celebrate Literacy with CLiF
By Terry Farish on November 19th, 2015 Tonight I told a story for a CLiF literacy event at the International Institute in Manchester, NH. The International Institute helps refugees to resettle and Amadou Hamady and his staff wrote a grant to support English language literacy. They won the grant and CLiF funded many things including my … Continued
If You’re a Parent and…You Wonder Why Audubon is Cool
I admit that I am one of those adults who enjoys reading middle level and young adult books. I think of it as prep work for recommending books to my second grader or CLiF program attendees. Three of my recent favorite books with teenager main characters have been One Came Home by Amy Timberlake, Okay … Continued
A Tale of Two Authors
Popular children’s book writers, Jacqueline Woodson, author of Brown Girl Dreaming and Each Kindness, and Dav Pilkey, author of the famous Captain Underpants series, each visited Vermont in October, sharing their own childhood challenges, discussing how these challenges helped to shape their own writing, and how their books now aim to support children, each in their … Continued
Reading is Magical
Reading is Magical Original Artwork by Grace Ahmed
Why Writing Matters
When I was in elementary school, I decided that I would be an author when I grew up.
CLiF Rural Libraries Conference: Connecting with Communities
On Friday September 18, CLiF welcomed 102 librarians from 40 New Hampshire towns and 40 Vermont towns to celebrate the back-to-school season at the CLiF Rural Libraries Conference. We asked nine panelists to share their knowledge and lead open question and answer sessions on the topics of Expanding Your Collection, Connecting with Younger Patrons, and … Continued
The Delivery Boy
By Simon Brooks As a storyteller I travel to many different schools and colleges, libraries, birthday parties, summer camps, business retreats, and private events. As a result I see a great many people from all walks of life, especially younger people. I have seen and performed for both the rich and economically challenged and learned … Continued
Back to the Books
Have a Happy Back to School! Original Artwork by Grace Ahmed
Broaching through Books
By Caroline Jones This past Sunday, I was driving back from Maine and passing the time in traffic with the wonderful podcast “This American Life”. One of the episodes, “The Birds & The Bees”, explored the complexities of explaining all kinds of difficult issues to young children. W. Kamau Bell, a comedian and father, was … Continued
Last Rays of Summer Reading
Enjoy those last rays. Happy Reading! Original Artwork by Grace Ahmed