December 7, 2022

Drumroll, please, and get your bookmarks ready! It was a book reveal, Tuesday, November 29  at Dr. Norman W. Crisp Elementary School in Nashua, New Hampshire.  Both the school library and the Nashua Public Library (NPL) unveiled dozens of new books courtesy of the Children’s Literacy Foundation, also known as CLiF.

CLiF, a Vermont-based nonprofit, works to inspire a love of reading and writing among children in low-income, at-risk, and rural environments across Vermont and New Hampshire.

Dr. Crisp is a recipient of a CLiF “Year of the Book” grant for the 2022-23 school year. The grant provides the school with frequent author visits, special programs, and ten free books for each student.  Both the school library and NPL each received $1,000 to purchase new books for their collections.

“The Nashua Public Library is excited to partner with Dr. Norman Crisp Elementary School on the CLiF Year of the Book grant,” said Kat Gatcomb, the Nashua Public Library’s Supervisor of Youth Services. “This is an incredible opportunity for the children and families at Dr. Crisp to engage in literacy activities throughout the year at school, at the public library, and at home. With this grant, the public library has been awarded funds to purchase books for our collection, and Nashua Public Library book selectors have tried to select books featuring diverse voices and stories from the excellent list of titles provided by CLiF.”

Cherrie Fulton, principal at Dr. Crisp Elementary School, says the Year of the Book grant has already brought excitement and a focus on books and reading to the school.

“We began the year with a visit by author Marty Kelley and a book giveaway to all our students. Today’s Library Event is a chance for our students to see 55-60 exciting new books that we have been able to purchase for our library and also have a chance to see the Nashua Public Library’s new books and to learn more about NPL’s many programs for the children of Nashua. It is going to be an exciting year-long event here at Dr. Crisp thanks to CLiF.”

At a recent “Library Day,” both Kris Murphy, NPL’s Children’s Librarian, and Danno Hynes, Dr. Crisp Elementary School Librarian, put the books on display in the school’s library for students to examine more closely. In addition, students could apply for NPL library cards and learn about the many events planned at NPL.