New York,
NY (May
15,
2003) --
At the tender ages of 7 and 9, second graders from Fletcher Walker Elementary School in Westwood, CA and fourth graders from Six to Six Interdistrict Magnet School in Bridgeport, CT are realizing the dream of becoming published authors. They are the grand prize winners in Scholastic Book Fairs' 17th annual
Kids Are Authors competition, a national book-writing contest open to teams of student writers in grades K-8. Their books,
Picture Perfect? and
Animalogies: A Collection of Animal Analogies, will be published by Scholastic and sold at Scholastic Book Fairs nationwide starting this fall.
More about the 2003 Kids Are Authors Grand Prize Winners:
Fiction Winner
Picture Perfect?
Written and illustrated by 2nd grade students from Fletcher Walker Elementary School, Westwood, California Teacher/Project Coordinator: Patricia Costa
It's School Picture Day and everyone wants to look perfect! But from getting a new perm, to losing a tooth, to having your mom pick your clothes, looking your best is not always easy. The simple text and crayon portraits capture the hilarious picture day dilemmas faced by anyone asked to smile for the camera, and remind readers that you always look perfect to those who love you.
Said David Shannon, author and illustrator of the 1999 Caldecott Honor Book
No, David!, and one of the judges who selected the 2003
Kids Are Authors grand prize winners : “Great idea - Has there ever been a good school photo? How could I not like the drawing style!”
Nonfiction Winner
Animalogies: A Collection of Animal Analogies
Written and illustrated by 4th grade students from Six to Six Interdistrict Magnet School, Bridgeport, Connecticut Teacher/Project Coordinator: Kathy Brody
Furry is to dog as slimy is to jellyfish. Analogies have never been so much fun! Bright collage illustrations show creatures from the animal world with a myriad of colors and shapes to bring this important language pattern to life. Can you complete the analogy before you turn the page?
“My class was so excited to find out about this contest and the delight on their faces through the entire process - from brainstorming ideas through completion of our book - was priceless,” said Six to Six Interdistrict Magnet School teacher Kathy Brody.
In addition to becoming published authors, winners' schools receive $2,000 in merchandise from the Scholastic Book Fairs Instructional Resources Catalog and 100 copies of the finished books. The winning students will receive a medal, a framed certificate, and a copy of the published book at an official award ceremony held at their school in the fall. Twenty-five entries have been named Honorable Mention winners, and their schools will receive $200 in merchandise from the Scholastic Book Fairs Instructional Resources Catalog, as well as a Certificate of Merit for each student winner.
Tens of thousands of students participated in the 2003
Kids Are Authors competition, working in teams to write and illustrate books on a topic of their choosing. Themes this year ranged from overcoming extraordinary circumstances and recognizing the gifts in daily life to the Space Shuttle Columbia tragedy, and democratic values and patriotism. The panel of judges selecting this year's grand prize winners included award-winning children's book authors and illustrators
David Catrow,
Kate DiCamillo,
Jack Gantos,
Megan McDonald, and
David Shannon.
“Our student authors and illustrators repeatedly raise the bar for story and artwork,” said David Krishock, President of Scholastic Book Fairs. “This year, we saw highly imaginative entries featuring sophisticated text and illustrations in a variety of mediums, from collage and pastels to mixed media and photography. Scholastic Book Fairs is proud to inspire so many kids to read, write, and create by sponsoring the
Kids Are Authors program.”
JPEGs of book covers are available upon request.
Kids Are Authors is one of the most highly regarded writing competitions for children in the country. Students develop their entries in groups of three or more under the supervision of a teacher or other faculty member, who serves as the Project Coordinator. The student team must illustrate all entries. Entries are judged on originality, content, overall appeal to children, quality of artwork and the compatibility of text and illustrations. Thousands of
Kids Are Authors books have been sold through in-school book fairs since the program began.
Schools interested in participating in
Kids Are Authors can find information on the program as well a complete listing of the winners online at
http://www.scholastic.com/kidsareauthors.
The Scholastic Book Fairs Division is the leader in its field, partnering with schools to hold more than 112,000 fairs each year in all 50 states that reach more than 30 million children. A Scholastic Book Fair is an exciting school-wide literacy event geared to help children in pre-school through 9th grade become lifelong learners. School employees and parent/teacher organizations work with Scholastic Book Fair representatives to create successful book sale events on school premises that give students, teachers, and parents access to thousands of the best books and educational items at affordable prices. The product selection includes the newest in children's books, award-winners, classics, and other interactive products to motivate and excite children to become devoted learners. In addition to building enthusiasm for reading, book fairs build revenue for schools. Participating schools use the funds raised to purchase essential classroom resources and support important school projects.
About Scholastic
Scholastic Corporation (NMS: SCHL) is the world's largest publisher and distributor of children's books. Scholastic creates quality educational and entertaining materials and products for use in school and at home, including children's books, textbooks, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, videos and toys. The Company distributes its products and services through a variety of channels, including proprietary school-based book clubs, school-based book fairs, school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries, and television networks; and the Company's Internet Site,
www.scholastic.com.