2023 CLEL Bell Award Winners

The CLEL Bell Awards are announced annually by the Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL). Five books are awarded “in recognition of five high-quality picture books that provide excellent support of early literacy development in young children.”

CLEL doesn’t just award books an award. They also create early literacy activity sheet for each title with helpful hints, tips, and tricks. Each one encourages the practice of early literacy skills at home, in the classroom, or library. These often make great storytime titles too! You can even go back through older winners as well. Take a week to focus on each of the early literacy skills. You’ve got five storytime lesson plans ready to go with books!

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2023 CLEL Bell Award Winners

Bathe the Cat by Alice B. McGinty, illustrated by David Roberts

It’s cleaning day, but the family cat will do anything to avoid getting a bath. So instead of mopping the floor or feeding the fish, the family is soon busy rocking the rug, vacuuming the lawn, and sweeping the dishes. Bouncy rhyme carries the story headlong into the growing hilarity until finally Dad restores some kind of order. But will the cat avoid getting his whiskers wet?

The Gift by Alain Serge Dzotap, illustrated by Delphine Renon

When Leo opens his birthday presents, he receives an amazing gift: a pen! Inside it, Papa says, are many beautiful things.  But how do you get them out? None of his friends can guess. Super-Zombo doesn’t get anywhere by blowing on it, and Coco-Tembo thinks it’s too tiny to hold anything important. Maybe Leo’s mama will know how to reveal all the wonders inside… 

How to Say Hello to a Worm: A First Guide to Outside by Kari Percival

The beautiful simplicity of a garden is depicted through digital woodcut illustrations and engaging nonfiction text presented as a series of sweet questions and gentle replies. Less of a traditional how-to and more of a how-to-appreciate, this soothingly sparse text paints an inviting and accessible picture of what a garden offers. And with an all-child cast, the absence of an adult presence empowers readers to view the garden and its creatures through their own eyes, driven by curiosity and wonder.

This delightful book embodies the magic of gardening and encourages all readers, from those who LOVE the outdoors to those with hesitation, to interact with nature at their own, comfortable pace.

Still This Love Goes On by Buffy Sainte-Marie, illustrated by Julie Flett

Based on Sainte-Marie’s song of the same name, Still This Love Goes On combines Flett’s breathtaking art with vivid lyrics to craft a stunning portrait of a Cree worldview. At the heart of this picture book is a gentle message about missing our loved ones, and the promise of seeing each other again.

Baby’s Here! by Jessica Young, illustrated by Geneviève Godbout

Tickle, rock, cuddle, and kiss the babies in this interactive board book! Rhyming text and sweet illustrations are perfect for toddlers and newly minted big brothers and sisters celebrating the arrival of a new baby.