CLiF Spotlight: Power Lunch with “A Real Alive Storyteller”
It’s not often that folks compete for the honor to have lunch with me (especially when I’m not footing the bill) but it happened on October 6th. And it was a blast!
What’s New
General / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… you dread the 28-part nonfiction series
Sarah Stewart Taylor, a CLiF presenter and author, interviewed CLiF’s founder and executive director Duncan McDougall for a recent parenting piece. Sarah summarizes the aspects of reading supported by our programs – relaxing and enjoying the moment, modeling by reading yourself, repeating books, and letting kids choose. I know this is true, and I feel like … Continued
Sept. 26 Friday Links Library
September is coming to a close. The CLiF Year of the Book has been successfully launched in eight elementary schools, and schools that saw 80% or more of families commit to regularly reading together are getting ice cream socials. Rural Libraries kickoffs are coming up next. And in the office, we’re assembling the newsletter, preparing for the … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
If you are a parent and Grandma lives far away…
When it comes to good grandmas, my son, Emmett, hit the jackpot. Twice. He inherited not one but two nurturing grandmothers who ooze affection for him and are thrilled to spend every waking moment giving him attention and endless snuggles. But where Emmett’s winnings failed him is that both of his grandmothers live TOO FAR AWAY. … Continued
Middle Ground: Storytime Isn’t Just for Little Ones
I’m a firm believer that reading aloud continues to be important as kids get older and that “storytime” shouldn’t end once kids become independent readers.
Sept. 12 Friday Links Library
Wow, it’s been a busy, fun month. Over the past two weeks six of our eight CLiF Year of the Book schools had kickoff celebrations, and next week we’re finishing the tour in Laconia and Manchester, NH. That means I’ve had little backlog in the links I collect for this occasional Friday Links Library series. So you’re getting … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… you’re raising a problem solver
Countless studies analyze to what extent kids take their cues on how to react and how to behave from their parents. A devotee of the PBSKids show Wild Kratts, my six-year-old has absorbed an astonishing amount of animal facts. When she calmly and with interest told me there was a snake on the swimming ladder, … Continued
General / Book Recommendations
The Next Great Book: A Backpackful of Back to School Books
Even though the whole concept of “Back To School” is somewhat distasteful to me since our summer felt like it lasted about two weeks, I’ll admit that I have read some pretty wonderful new books this season. Some address what it is like to be at school for the first time, or what it is like … Continued
Picture: Books — Back to School Bus
CLiF wishes kids, parents, teachers, librarians, and school staff a great first week of school! Illustration by Grace Ahmed
Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… you’re raising a sensitive child
You may witness a multitude of emotions within any given day – unfettered giggles rising from deep in his belly, tender moments of quiet affection, loud protests of untamable anger, and tears of heartbreaking sadness. Sure, all toddlers carry a strain of drama queen. At least half the time my son cries, his crocodile … Continued
General / CLiF Spotlight / Book Recommendations
August 8 Friday Links Library
I’m so excited: I’m reading the manuscript of a friend’s just-finished mystery novel. I love reading more than pretty much any other activity (besides, maybe, eating), and reading a friend’s work — especially when it’s great — is so much fun. The dialogue! The suspense! The inside jokes! I’m very proud of him for having the focus … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… you’re teaching kindness
New research from Harvard’s Making Caring Common Project offers suggestions on how to raise kind children. I read this with interest because recently, in a deep conversation about our strengths and weaknesses as parents, I shared with a friend that my biggest hope for my child is she be kind. As parents of only children, these hopes are … Continued
August 1 Friday Links Library
The Friday Links Library has been enjoying its summer vacation. We’re back this week with a short edition… Yesterday was Harry Potter’s (and J. K. Rowling’s) birthday, marking 16 years since readers first met the boy wizard. A recent study suggests that reading Harry Potter makes children more empathetic or tolerant toward minority groups or people … Continued
General / Book Recommendations / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… your toddler is toying with naughty words
…then you are quite familiar with “the look. It’s no longer the oblivious, “Gee, climbing on top of the couch is such fun!” expression. At least that one carried pure ignorance to the actual danger or unlawfulness of the behavior. No, this “look” is a new level of testing, of pushing boundaries of which he … Continued
Middle Ground: Fizz, Boom, and Read this Summer!
In a public library, summer is the time of year when the children’s room truly comes to life.
General / CLiF Spotlight / How You Can Help
Share your favorite summer book!
Remember the book you read one summer? You never forgot how it made you feel. Maybe you shared it with your own children. Since May we’ve been keeping a list collecting your favorite summer reads. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4Yu9ulw3YYs&w=400&h=300&rel=0 Now, for just $5 per book, you can share your favorite with a child served through CLiF’s Summer Readers programs. CLiF will serve 3,700 … Continued
General / If you're a parent and...
If you’re a parent and… it’s July 4th!
Happy July 4th! This holiday inspires me to read books about American history: presidents, symbols, battles, trivia, monuments, houses – there are some great stories! Tomorrow we’ll wrap up a day of parades, candy, fireworks, barbecues, and swimming with two of my daughter’s favorite books: Looking At Lincoln and So You Want to Be President. She read one … Continued
CLiF Spotlight: Back to Camp!
On June 25 I donned shorts and flip-flops and traveled to Bethlehem, NH to visit Copper Cannon Camp (CCC) located on 128 acres adjacent to the White Mountain National Forest.