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 a diverse array of titles that celebrate the joy of early literacy, notably including titles in durable board book format as well as titles that young children will enjoy as they grow.
The 2026 English CLEL Bell Award winning titles are:
READ
- Let’s Be Bees by Shawn Harris — published Feb. 11, 2025, Neal Porter Books; ISBN 9780823457090
WRITE
- Don’t Draw In This Book by Bill Cotter — published Sept. 2, 2025, Sourcebooks Jabberwocky; ISBN 9781464220715
TALK
- I Can Say Moo! by Stephanie Cohen, illustrated by Lindsay Dale-Scott — published April 1, 2025, Sourcebooks Explore; ISBN 9781728291581
SING
- Abuelita’s Song by Gloria Amescua, illustrated by Mariyah Rahman — published May 20, 2025, Beach Lane Books; ISBN 9781665957519
PLAY
- Catch! by Trish Cooke, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max — published May 6, 2025, Charlesbridge; ISBN 9781623546229
