Reading Lists

Professionally curated reading lists developed by topic and/or age level. Some Reading Lists include titles from multiple age groups and will appear under more than one category

Award of the Week – The 2017 Mythopoeic Awards

The Mythopoeic Fantasy Award for Children’s Literature honors books for beginning readers to age thirteen that follow the tradition of fantasy put forth by The Hobbit or The Chronicles of Narnia. Titles for mature young adults may be placed in the adult category. Books are eligible for selection as finalists the year after publication however […]

Buddhism in Fiction

In honor of CLCD’s CEO’s philanthropic trip to Nepal to work with Buddhist monks, check out these works of fiction that feature Buddhism in some way or another. Hiroshima Dreams By: Kelly Easton Lin O’Neil, a talented but shy girl growing up in Providence, Rhode Island, develops a […]

Ajay and the Monks of Khawalung

Our fearless leader and CEO of CLCD, Dr. Ajay Gupte, has landed in Nepal along with his teenage son and a friend. This is his 3rd annual trip with his son, who is now 17, to volunteer at the Khawalung Tashi Choeling Monastery which houses 60 young monks – boys ages 4-21. While there they also […]

R. Gregory Christie’s Award-Winning Titles

A simple search of illustrator R. Gregory Christie produced 41 results. While trying to narrow the search to only award winners to minimize this reading list, I was pleasantly disappointed to see that “narrowing” it down to simply award winners still left me with 24 results. Here they are… Sugar […]

Award of the Week – The New York Times Best Illustrated Children’s Books of 2016

The NYT Best Illustrated Children’s Books are named annually since the 1952. The NYT Book Review has selected a panel of judges who select each year’s winners based solely on artistic merit. Below are the 2016 winners, including a title illustrated by R. Gregory Christie The White Cat and the […]

Murder in the Mountains – A Northern Light and the True-life Murder that Inspired It

“Gillette Electrocuted for the Murder of Sweetheart.” It is a headline ripped straight from a 1908 newspaper and just as compelling as ever. A recent visit to the Adirondacks reminded me of one of my favorite historical fiction books, A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly and the true-life crime upon which Donnelly’s story revolves. It […]

On Our Night Stand – What Gertrude and I are Reading Before Bed

Bedtime with a toddler, at least in my house, is hit or miss. She may go to bed unbathed, teeth unbrushed, without pajamas but I can always count on a story. Check out our current favorites. Lenny & Lucy By: Philip Stead A picture book about moving to a new […]

Award of the Week – The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award

The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award is presented each year to winners in each of three categories: Picture Book, Fiction and Poetry, and Nonfiction. Each winning title must be published in the United States and is chosen by a panel of three judges appointed annually by the editor of the Horn Book. Below are this year’s […]

Sibling Stories

In honor of the award-winning Fan Brothers, the following list includes books that feature siblings I’ll Give You the Sun By: Jandy Nelson Jude and her brother, Noah, are incredibly close twins. At thirteen, isolated Noah draws constantly and is falling in love with the charismatic boy next door, […]

The Cook Prize

The Cook Prize is presented by the Bank Street College of Education and honors the best science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) picture book published for children ages 8-10. Finalists are chosen by a panel of judges including two math/science faculty from the Graduate School of Education and two teachers from the School for Children […]

Cows in Storytime – Dairy Parade 2017

The first Tuesday in June is a local holiday in my hometown. Every June our county’s finest come out for the annual Dairy Parade highlighting our local businesses, community organizations, marching bands, and, of course, the local dairy industry complete with a Dairy Princess. The Dairy Parade has been a mainstay in my life, first […]

Serendipitous CLCD Enterprise Searches

There are a lot of great things about CLCD Enterprise, but one of my favorites is the ability to get lost. Getting lost is not a bad thing, think Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland. Sometimes I feel like I have fallen down a rabbit hole. For example, thinking of ideas for this week’s newsletter, I remembered […]

Marilyn Courtot – Founder of CLCD

CLCD, as it stands now, has come a long way from its inception in 1993, when a computer programmer and the first female assistant secretary of the U.S. Senate, decided it was time for a career change. Marilyn Courtot endeavored to create a source for teachers, librarians, parents, and childcare providers that offered reviews of […]

Comstock-Gág Read Aloud Book Awards

Comstock-Gág Read Aloud Book Awards is a program initiated by the Curriculum Materials Center at the Livingston Lord Library at Minnesota State University that supports two separate awards, the Comstock Read Aloud Book Award and the Wanda Gág Read Aloud Book Award. The Comstock Read Aloud Book Award is an annual award for the best read […]

Girls in STEM

In honor of CLCD’s founder, Marilyn Courtot, computer programmer and female pioneer, here is a list of award winning books that put women in the STEM spotlight. Enjoy! Ada Twist, scientist By: Andrea Beauty Ada Twist is a very curious girl who shows perseverance by asking questions and performing experiments to […]

Here Comes Summer

With frost on the ground in lovely Central New York, it is hard to imagine that summer is right around the corner, but so it is, and with it comes the lazy days of summer vacation. From now until August, Read & Shine will continue to bring you the latest and greatest in the children’s […]

This Time Last Year – Award Winning Books From May 2016

From the top books published in May 2016, the following titles went on to win awards and live up to their pre-pub hype Save me a seat By: Sarah Weeks Ravi has just moved to the United States from India and has always been at the top of […]

National Teacher’s Day — Celebrating One of the Best!

National Teachers day is May 9, 2017 and to celebrate I decided to honor one of my longest and closest friends, Leslie Randall Peters, who also happens to be an amazing art teacher. Of all of my friends, (all 4 of them), it seems that Leslie always knew exactly what she wanted and how to […]

The 2017 Edgar Awards

The winners of the 2017 Edgar Awards were announced on April 27, 2017 in New York City. Each year the Mystery Writers of America honor the best in mystery fiction, non-fiction, and television in such categories as Short Stories, Juvenile, and Young Adult. Winner Juvenile Titles OCDaniel By: Wesley King […]

Derby Day — Books for the Horse Lover

May 6, 2017 marks the 143rd running of the Kentucky Derby, the “greatest two minutes in sports.” The Grade 1 stakes race for 3 year old Thoroughbred horses has been held annually at Churchill Downs since 1875. If you are like me, this means almost nothing to you aside from a visit to the National Museum […]