From Sliding Glass Doors to Playgrounds: Picture Books That Call Kids Outside By: Cora Astin In 1990 Dr. Rudine Bishop, OSU prof. of education, wrote that books are often viewed as a mirror, window, or sliding glass doors. Since then, her statement has resonated throughout the education and library communities, prompting ongoing conversations and encouraging …
por Kate Fitzpatrick ¡Hola! Con la llegada de la primavera, hemos estado muy ocupados planificando nuestro jardín en la biblioteca. Este año, llevaremos a cabo una serie de programas relacionados con nuestro jardín educativo. En abril, sembraremos semillas, leeremos libros sobre jardinería, decoraremos macetas y observaremos cómo nuestro jardín comienza a crecer en nuestras jardineras …
By Kate Fitzpatrick Hello! With the start of spring, we’ve been busy planning our garden at the library. This year, we’re doing a series of programs related to our learning garden. In April, we’ll be planting seeds, reading gardening books, decorating plant pots, and watching our garden start to grow in our indoor planters. I’m …
Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL) is pleased to announce the winners of the annual English CLEL Bell Awards. Now in its 12th awards cycle, the English CLEL Bell Awards are an annual recognition of five high-quality children’s books that provide excellent support of early literacy development in children ages 0-5. The 2026 year features …
What’s with all this tracing in board books? By: Cora Astin Have you ever read a board book and noticed the raised or textured objects that little ones can trace with their fingers? Those elements aren’t randomly placed there by accident! They are actually designed to help support early pre-reading and pre-writing skills. As littles …
Por: Vanessa Sandoval ¡Hola! Soy Vanessa. El año pasado fue mi primera vez formando parte del comité Spanish CLEL Bell, y fue una experiencia verdaderamente increíble. No solo fue un honor participar, sino que también me inspiró a aportar nueva creatividad a mi propio programa de Hora de Cuentos en español. Presento mi Cuéntame Cuentos …
By: Vanessa Sandoval Last year was my first time being part the Spanish CLEL Bell committee, and it was truly an incredible experience. Not only was it an honor to participate, but it also inspired me to bring fresh creativity into my own Spanish Storytimes. I have my weekly Cuéntame Cuentos Spanish Storytime for Westminster …
por: Kate Fitzpatrick He formado parte de los comités de Premios CLEL y Premios CLEL en español durante los últimos 3 años. Una de mis partes favoritas de formar parte del comité es escuchar sobre libros infantiles excelentes y compartirlos con otros bibliotecarios. Organizo una hora de cuentos bilingüe semanal en la Biblioteca Pública de …
By: Kate Fitzpatrick I’ve been on the CLEL Bells or Spanish CLEL Bells committees for the past 3 years. One of my favorite parts of being on the committee is hearing about and sharing great children’s books with other library folks. I do a weekly bilingual storytime at Longmont Public Library along with frequent visits …
We are pleased to announce the shortlist titles for the annual English CLEL Bell Awards. Now in its 12th year, the English CLEL Bell Awards are an annual recognition of five high-quality children’s books that provide excellent support of early literacy development in children ages 0-5. The 2026 year features a diverse array of titles …
