Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight / Education

Geof Hewitt, Poet/Performer

CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Geof Hewitt of Calais, VT. Geof is the author of four poetry volumes and the Poetry Slam Laureate of Vermont. He also plays the nose flute (see photo). CLiF created the outline below to help students of all ages think about his poems and poetry. Watch a … Continued

General

CLiF’s Book Club for Grown-Ups: Poet Rajnii Eddins

CLiF’s virtual Book Club for Grown-ups series continues! In Book Club, CLiF’s award-winning presenters share their work and answer your questions. You can find the full October discussion with author Sarah Stewart Taylor of The Mountains Wild here (skip the first 10 mins, which is just chatting and set-up). In November, we’ll be talking poetry … Continued

General / Presenter Profiles / Education

Sarah Dillard, Author/Illustrator

CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Sarah Dillard of Fayston, VT. Sarah writes and illustrates picture books, graphic novels for new readers and early chapter books. See a clip of Sarah’s presentation from CLiF’s Virtual Author’s series here. Things to think about: Here are a few ways to get to know Sarah’s work … Continued

General / Book Recommendations

The Best New Diverse Books for Kids & Teens

While 2020 seems to be intensely engaged in an active round of “Up Your Game,” there is some relatively good news coming out of the book publishing industry (Cue the bullhorns! Good news!). Namely, gatekeepers at publishing houses and those who are writing book reviews are starting to step aside and give voice to those … Continued

General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight / Education

Jason Chin, Author/Illustrator

CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Jason Chin of South Burlington, VT. Jason writes and illustrates books about science and nature. He does two things in his books: he tells a story, and he teaches about science and nature. Learn more about how he does it! Watch a clip of Jason’s presentation from … Continued

General / Presenter Profiles / CLiF Spotlight

CLiF’s Fall Storytelling Series

CLiF’s Wednesday afternoon storytelling series is back! Join CLiF and one of our professional presenters Wednesdays at 1 p.m. EST from October 14 to November 18; register here. Watch the spring and summer presentations here. CLiF started these weekly sessions to: offer kids and parents a chance to take a break and share a story, … Continued

Research / Literacy Activities / Education

Making Literacy Fun in Our “New Normal”

Welcome to school year 2020-2021! CLiF continues to serve as a resource to deliver program ideas, grants, and research to help teachers, librarians, parents, early educators, and out-of-school-time providers succeed in these challenging and confusing times. We NEED your ideas for how to do that – your ideas will be used to offer new grants … Continued

Literacy Activities

Keep Kids Engaged Using These Fun, At-home Literacy Activities

While the world’s gone digital, there are all kinds of videos of celebrities reading children’s books, at-home learning resources, and ten zillion articles on how to manage remote learning. We know; it’s overwhelming! Whether you’re trying to keep your remote learners focused at home or you’re a librarian or teacher brainstorming fun, interesting ways to … Continued

General

CLiF’s Book Club for Grown-ups: The Mountains Wild

Since April, we’ve been offering a weekly virtual storytelling series for kids, featuring CLiF’s amazing storytellers, authors, and illustrators. Now, we’ll be offering a virtual book club for grown-ups, too! Many of the 68 Vermont and New Hampshire authors/storytellers we work with also write for adults. This will be an opportunity to dig into the … Continued

General

Read Widely: Diversifying the Books Our Kids Read

Many of the books available to children and teens don’t reflect the diverse backgrounds and experiences of today’s world. According to a 2018 study, 50% of characters in children’s books were white, only 10% were Black, 5% were Latinx, and only 1% were Native American. 27% featured main characters that were animals, significantly more than … Continued

Writing

Get to Work: How to Improve Your Writing

Whether you’re an aspiring author or a prolific journal-er, you can always improve your writing. The most important thing, I tell my students at New Degree Press/Creator Institute, is developing good habits and a regular practice. Schedule writing time into your routine. Not everyone can find time to write every day, though that’s a great … Continued

General / Book Recommendations

What Books Are Flying Off the CLiF Shelves?

At any given time, the CLiF library is filled with thousands of beautiful new books waiting to find eager young readers. We give away high-quality books for every reader’s level and interests. We do our best to offer a wide variety of diverse titles, both classics and new books and series. Here are some of … Continued

Presenter Profiles

Sandra Neil Wallace, Non-fiction author

CLiF would like to introduce or re-introduce you to Sandra Neil Wallace of Keene, NH. Sandra’s books “focus on people who break barriers and change the world.” Watch a clip of Sandra’s presentation from CLiF’s Virtual Author’s Series here. Things to think about: Here are a few ways to get to know Sandra’s work better: CLiF … Continued

General / Book Recommendations

What Are You Reading This Summer?

It should come as no surprise that the CLiF staff loves to read! After all, our mission is to share that love with all kids in New Hampshire and Vermont. And there’s no better time to read than summer, especially as so many social events and programs are either cancelled or online, giving us more … Continued

CLiF has served over 350,000 children since 1998.

Subscribe to our Blog