Family Play Festival Five Practices: TALK

CLEL Bell Award books--winners and shortlisted titles

Showing 1 - 20 of 49  There are a total of 55 valid entries on the list.
Book cover for A day with no words.
Notes:
2024 Winner
Description:
Young children will learn what life can look like for an autistic child who uses nonverbal communication by following a mother and child on a day where they use a tablet to communicate with others.
Book cover for I love you mucho mucho.
Notes:
2024 Shortlist
Description:
Rosie is so excited to see her abuela and tell her everything that's been going on--but Abuela doesn't speak English, and Rosie doesn't speak Spanish. They quickly learn over lunch, though, that hunger has no language--and neither does love!
Book cover for Mama Shamsi at the bazaar.
Notes:
2024 Shortlist
Description:
"Mama Shamsi is off to the market, and today, Samira gets to go with her! Samira loves spending time with her grandmother, and she especially loves her chador, which Mama Shamsi wraps around herself every time they leave the house. As the pair get closer and closer to the market, Samira is worried about getting lost in the crowded streets of Tehran, until she has an idea: She can hide under her grandmother's chador. But when Mama Shamsi says no--if...
Book cover for More than words.
Author:
Notes:
2024 Shortlist
Description:
Quietly observing the many different ways his classmates communicate, Nathan learns that understanding and being mindful of one another are the greatest bridges to friendship and belonging, in this moving picture book that explores and celebrates many forms of expression.
Book cover for ¡No dejes que la paloma conduzca el autobús!.
Author:
Notes:
Silver Bell
Description:
¿Quien dijo que la paloma no podría ser un excelente conductor de autobús? When a bus driver takes a break from his route, a very unlikely volunteer springs up to take his place.
Book cover for How to say hello to a worm.
Notes:
2023 Winner
Description:
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...
Book cover for What's your name.
Notes:
2023 Shortlist
Description:
"Names hold power. They can be a greeting, provide comfort, act as a warning, or honor our ancestors and heroes. Sometimes growing into a name, or selecting a new one, can take a little time. Names connect us to others and help create who we are and what makes us uniquely special. With an engaging visual narrative buzzing with people and names of all stripes, and a lilting text that's perfect for reading aloud, the creator...offers a celebratory and...
Book cover for Tell me a lion story.
Author:
Notes:
2023 Shortlist
Description:
"Tell me a story-a new one-and make it about a ______! In this picture book, a child asks their father to tell them a story. But not just any old story, a new story. "And make it about a lion!" The dad begins, but the child interrupts again and again: "The lion doesn't have to be SOOO BIG." "Why is the lion so small? Doesn't he eat dinner?" "Fred? I can think of a hundred zillion better names to give a lion!" Finally, Dad suggests telling the lion...
Book cover for It was supposed to be sunny.
Notes:
2022 Winner
Description:
Laila's birthday party, perfectly planned with her autism in mind, goes awry due to a change in weather and an accident with her cake, but with the help of her mom and her service dog, Laila knows she can handle this.
Book cover for Wonder walkers.
Notes:
2022 Shortlist
Description:
"Two curious children go for a walk, asking imaginative questions about the natural beauty that surrounds them." --
Book cover for What happened to you?.
Series:
Notes:
2022 Shortlist
Description:
Imagine you were asked the same question again and again throughout your life... Imagine if it was a question that didn't bring about the happiest of memories... This is the experience of one-legged Joe, a child who just wants to have fun in the playground... Constantly seen first for his disability, Joe is fed up of only ever being asked about his leg. All he wants to do is play Pirates. But as usual, one after the other, all the children ask him...
Book cover for Raven, rabbit, deer.
Notes:
2022 Shortlist
Description:
"A little boy spends the day with his grandfather, endearingly imagining himself to be the caregiver. On a walk through the forest, the grandfather teaches him to identify a number of animals and their tracks: raven, rabbit, deer, sparrow. Back at the house, their special time ends with milk, cookies, and story time that turns into a nap. Ojibwe translations of the animal names are found on the endpapers." --
Book cover for The paper kingdom.
Notes:
2021 Winner
Description:
"When the babysitter is unable to come, Daniel is woken out of bed and joins his parents as they head downtown for their jobs as nighttime office cleaners. But the story is about more than brooms, mops, and vacuums. Mama and Papa turn the deserted office building into a magnificent kingdom filled with paper. Then they weave a fantasy of dragons and kings to further engage their reluctant companion - and even encourage him to one day be the king of...
Book cover for I am perfectly designed.
Notes:
2021 Shortlist
Description:
In this empowering ode to modern families, a boy and his father take a joyful walk through the city, discovering all the ways in which they are perfectly designed for each other.
Book cover for Can I play too?.
Notes:
2021 Shortlist
Description:
"A young boy building a train track with his friend is headed for trouble until a teacher steps in and helps him learn social cues of anger and happiness" --
Book cover for Layla's happiness.
Notes:
2021 Shortlist
Description:
Seven-year-old Layla loves life! So she keeps a happiness book. Spirited and observant, Layla is a child who’s been given room to grow, making happiness both thoughtful and intimate. What is happiness for her? It’s her dad talking about growing-up in South Carolina; her mom reading poetry; her best friend Juan, the community garden, and so much more. Written by poet Mariahadessa Ekere Tallie and illustrated by Ashleigh Corrin, this is a story...
Book cover for Mama Baby.
Notes:
2021 Shortlist
Description:
"Mama and Baby clap and play hide-and-seek and pat-a-cake. Mama and Baby... Mama? Where did Mama go? In a series of spreads, simple, bold illustrations show a mother on one side and a baby on the other, interacting in universally familiar ways -- until Mama dips out briefly, then returns to her crying child to offer comfort again. With his usual flair, the redoubtable Chris Raschka offers a reassuring moment that will resonate with mamas and babies...
Book cover for You Know What?.
Notes:
2018 Shortlist
Description:
Oliver should go to sleep, but there is so much he wants to tell his mother about: what happened that day at school, the things he read in books, everything he sees around him. A touching and familiar picture book about (postponing) the ritual of going to sleep.

19. Why?

Book cover for Why?.
Notes:
2020 Shortlist
Description:
Illustrations and simple text reveal that, even when a pesky rabbit annoys his bear friend with too many questions, their friendship remains strong.
Book cover for Tell me the day backwards.
Author:
Notes:
Silver Bell
Description:
As he gets into bed, Timmy Bear asks his mother to play a game with him in which they remember everything he did during the day, but in reverse order.