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 …
By: Alexa Bynum Soto Have you ever wondered what being part of an award committee is like? Curious about applying for the Bells next year and want to know what to expect? Read on to learn what life on the committee looks like! When you are selected as a member of the CLEL Bell Award …
By: Justine Ferrara Do you want to incorporate CLEL Bell books into your storytimes? Are you looking for some caregiver tips, rhymes, songs, and activities to freshen up an existing storytime? Read on for some ideas to plan and execute an engaging storytime all about talking! CLEL Bell Award Winners, Shortlisters, and Nominees perfect for …
Books for Babies By Michelle Ballard, Springfield-Greene County Library District I get asked: Why should I read to my baby? The answer is more complex than one might think. Reading to a baby creates a stronger bond between the baby and the reader. The baby is gaining vocabulary knowledge, learning how to handle a book, …
By: Justine Ferrara, Union (NJ) Public Library Do you want to incorporate CLEL Bell books into your storytimes? Are you looking for some caregiver tips, rhymes, songs, and activities to freshen up an existing storytime? Read on for some ideas to plan and execute an engaging storytime all about singing! CLEL Bell Award Winners & …
By: Justine Ferrara, Union (NJ) Public Library Do you want to incorporate CLEL Bell books into your storytimes? Are you looking for some caregiver tips, rhymes, songs, and activities to freshen up an existing storytime? Read on for some ideas to plan and execute an engaging storytime all about writing! CLEL Bell Award Winners & …
By: Justine Ferrara, Union (NJ) Public Library Do you want to incorporate CLEL Bell books into your storytimes? Are you looking for some caregiver tips, rhymes, songs, and activities to freshen up an existing storytime? Read on for some ideas to plan and execute an engaging storytime all about reading! CLEL Bell Award Winners & …
By: Holly Van Hoy Are you lucky enough to have caregivers and/or community members offering to volunteer at your library during storytime, but feeling unsure how to include them? Here are a few ways that I have been able to welcome caregivers and community members as creative partners in my storytime sessions. Hand Them a …
by Alex McCall / Douglas County Libraries It is easy to convince a librarian that speaking, talking, and reading to children from birth is a vital component of early literacy. From day one, babies’ brains develop neural pathways based on their caregivers’ words, intonations, and gestures that lay the foundations for them to read later …
