Serving on the CLEL Bell Awards Committee has given me a new way to look at picture books. I have always been passionate about early literacy, but this experience has encouraged me to think more intentionally about the books we share with young children. Instead of simply asking whether a book is engaging, funny, or beautifully illustrated, I now find myself asking a different question: Does this picture book model an early literacy practice?
The CLEL Bell Awards, presented by Colorado Libraries for Early Literacy (CLEL), recognize five high-quality children’s books that provide excellent support for early literacy development in young children ages 0–5. Awards are given in the five early literacy practice categories for both English and Spanish titles: Read, Write, Sing, Talk, and Play (leer, escribir, cantar, hablar, and jugar). The five winning titles are selected from a shortlist of 25 honored books chosen from nominations submitted by CLEL committees.
The CLEL Bell Awards are a wonderful reminder that picture books are powerful tools for building early literacy skills. A book can encourage a child to talk about the story, sing along with a repeated phrase, experiment with writing and drawing, engage in imaginative play, or simply enjoy the rhythm and joy of reading together with a caring adult.
2026 CLEL Bell Winners
READ
Let’s Be Bees by Shawn Harris (Neal Porter Books)
WRITE
Don’t Draw In This Book by Bill Cotter (Sourcebooks Jabberwocky)
TALK
I Can Say Moo! by Stephanie Cohen, illustrated by Lindsay Dale-Scott (Sourcebooks Explore)
SING
Abuelita’s Song by Gloria Amescua, illustrated by Mariyah Rahman (Beach Lane Books)
PLAY
Catch! by Trish Cooke, illustrated by Ken Wilson-Max (Charlesbridge)
You can explore these winning titles in more depth and find early literacy activity sheets for each book on the CLEL website. These resources are a great way to extend the reading experience and help caregivers and children continue interacting with the books beyond the final page.
Help Choose Next Year’s CLEL Bell Winners
As librarians, we know that there are countless picture books published each year that inspire conversation, creativity, movement, and connection. The CLEL Bell Awards are an opportunity to celebrate the books that intentionally support young children’s early literacy development.
If you’ve discovered a book published within the last year that is an excellent example of one of the five early literacy practices, consider submitting it for a CLEL Bell Award. When completing the nomination form, you will enter the book information, select the early literacy practice you think the book best represents, and answer three questions:
- Please describe the connection between this title and the category you selected.
- How does this book support or model an early literacy practice or skill?
- Beyond simply reading the book together, how could it encourage interaction between an adult and child?
As you read new picture books, keep these questions in mind. Some books naturally invite conversation, movement, singing, drawing, imaginative play, or repeated reading. These are the books that create opportunities for children and caregivers to build early literacy skills together.
The nomination committee is accepting submissions through November 15. If a recent favorite comes to mind, consider sharing it with the CLEL Bell Awards Committee. Your nomination could help highlight the next outstanding books that support early literacy development for young children.