Join Us For The

2026 CCIRA Conference!

Colorado Children's Book Award Winners Announced!

​The votes are in, and the winners of the 2025 Colorado Children's Book Award have been announced! In the Picture Book category, "No Fuzzball!" by Isabella Kung took the top honor, with "Chez Bob" by Bob Shea as the runner-up. For the Junior Book category, "Nugly" by M.C. Ross secured the win, while "Knight Owl" by Christopher Denise was the runner-up.



A heartfelt thank you to all the young readers and educators who participated in this year's voting process. Your enthusiasm and engagement help foster a lifelong love of reading among Colorado's children.​

2026 Nominees

Here are the nominees for the 2026 Picture Book and Junior Book categories! Be sure to have these books available in your school so your students can read, enjoy, and cast their votes for the 2026 winners!

Click the button to find a PDF of the 2026 nominees

and information on how to have students vote.

CCIRA Professional Development Blog

All Things Literacy

The CCIRA blog features a wide variety of nationally renowned literacy experts, as well as talented practitioners from across Colorado. Check out the posts on https://ccira.blog/  

📢New Blog Alert!!📢

Our newest blog, Reading Identity Matters: A Broad View of Foundational Skills,

is written by former CCIRA presenters Hannah Schneewind and Dr. Jennifer Scoggin. Other recent posts by our fantastic 2025 CCIRA presenters are Conferring With Young Writers by Ralph Fletcher, Student Agency: Strategies to Build a Strengths-Based Classroom by Dr. Towanda Harris, Sparks in the Dark: Returning to Joy, Love, Curiosity, and Passion by Travis Crowder and Todd Nesloney, and From Empathy to Compassion: Reading to Make a Difference by Katie Kelly and Lester Laminack. You can also find 3 Ideas for Integrating Literacy into Science Lessons by Elizabeth Everett, Teaching the Writing That Students Need Now by Kelly Boswell, Building Novel Connections: How to Center Book Clubs in Today’s Literacy Classrooms by Dr. Sarah Valter, and Term Projects: Exploring Choice Writing in a World of Standardized Testing by Brent Gilson.

If you are interested in submitting a guest post to the CCIRA blog, please contact Hollyanna Bates. hollyannabates@gmail.com

Lynsey Burkins, one of our fantastic 2025 CCIRA Conference presenters, is looking for Denver-area teachers who might be interested in participating in Build Your Stack® at NCTE’s National Convention, which will take place November 20–23, 2025 in Denver.

What is Build Your Stack®?

Build Your Stack® is an NCTE initiative that celebrates teacher expertise and book knowledge by creating meaningful connections between educators and high-quality literature. Through Build Your Stack®, teachers share the books they use with students and how they integrate them into their teaching practices.

Build Your Stack® at NCTE’s National Convention

• At the convention, Build Your Stack® will feature 20 twenty-minute presentation slots specifically for Denver-area teachers to share books they love and use in their classrooms.
• Each session can have 1-4 teacher presenters, making it a collaborative and fun experience.
• The presentations will take place in the exhibit hall, ensuring visibility and engagement from convention attendees.

How Can Teachers Get Involved?

We are looking for 1-4 teachers to present for 20 minutes on books they love and use in their classrooms. This is a low-pressure, fun way for both new and experienced teachers to share their expertise.



To support presenters, Lynsey will hold a one-hour meeting with all participating teachers to walk them through the process and answer any questions.

Any teachers who might be interested should contact Amy Vermeulen at amy.ccira@gmail.com. Teachers who need funding for the books they'd like to use can apply for the STAR Grant listed below in the CCIRA Grants section of the newsletter.

Star Grant - Due April 30 (Deadline Extended!)

Do you want to try new reading/writing experiences with your students?

CCIRA has developed the STAR Grant Program just for you! Successful applicants will receive up to $500 to develop and implement reading

projects that will directly impact students. Click the button below to go to the

grants page of the CCIRA website. Contact Sarah Iversen with any questions.

Local Activity Grant - Due August 1

Does your council have a great idea for an activity involving reading/writing instruction or promoting literacy in schools? If so, you can fill out the application for the Local Activity Grant (formerly the Council Development Grant). This grant is awarded three times a year. Due dates for applications are August 1, February 1, and April 1. Click the button below to go to the grants page of the CCIRA website. Contact Jessica Endres with any questions you may have.

Join CCIRA as a Volunteer – Make a Difference in Literacy Education!

CCIRA is looking for passionate volunteers to help support literacy education in meaningful ways! There are many opportunities to get involved, including:

📌 Executive Committee & Board of Directors – Help shape the future of CCIRA through leadership roles.

📌 Local Councils – Engage with your community to promote literacy initiatives.

📌 Annual Conference – Assist in planning and running one of the most impactful literacy conferences.

📌 Other Key Tasks – From outreach to event coordination, there’s a place for everyone!

Volunteering with CCIRA is a fantastic way to connect with fellow educators, develop leadership skills, and contribute to a cause that transforms lives through literacy.

Interested? Contact CCIRA President, Michele Warner, today!

CCIRA is a non-profit organization that works to empower literacy educators. As a non-profit organization, we appreciate support in a variety of ways:

• Donate
• Support a Conference Scholarship Opportunity
• Leverage fundraising programs to earn CCIRA money
• Volunteer with CCIRA

Raise Funds for CCIRA!

CCIRA Partners in Empowering Literacy Educators

TOP REASONS TO PARTNER WITH CCIRA

• Over 1000 conference attendees will learn about your partnership with CCIRA.
• Our educator community will see your support on our webpage.
• Visitors to the CCIRA website will learn about your organization and its events.
• Our combined support of literacy will impact students across our state and neighboring states.

CCIRA collaboratively encourages, supports, and advances literacy through research-based instructional practices to increase literacy access to all.

All people will be empowered to critically engage in our changing world by developing and utilizing literacy skills throughout life.

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