Lake Mary,
FL (May
17,
2004) --
Fifth grade students from Coast Episcopal School in Long Beach, Mississippi are realizing their dream of becoming published authors. Their book,
Color For Thought, won the grand prize for a nonfiction work in Scholastic's
Kids Are Authors competition, a national book-writing contest for teams of student writers in grades K-8. The student's winning book was selected from among thousands of entries nationwide and will be published and distributed at Scholastic Book Fairs in schools nationwide this fall.
To recognize their accomplishment, each young author will receive a medal, framed certificate, and a copy of their published book during an official award ceremony to be held at their school later this fall. The school will receive $2,000 in Scholastic Book Fairs merchandise and 100 copies of
Color For Thought.
Color For Thought, which the students conceived, wrote and illustrated, offers a fascinating look at the colors that surround us: “your RED strawberry milkshake might contain bugs,” and “we owe our lives to the BLUE blood of a crab?” The book also includes activities and games to help readers see colors in a whole new light.
Tens of thousands of students participated in the 2004
Kids Are Authors competition. This year's topics ranged from recess to the war in Iraq. A group of students from Batesville, Miss., enlisted the help of actor Morgan Freeman to help them write their book about a celebrity who visits a small town. This year's panel of distinguished judges included: renowned children's book authors and illustrators Loreen Leedy, Lin Oliver, Christopher Myers, Mark Teague and Tony DiTerlizzi selected the grand-prize winners.
Estes Hill Elementary School in Chapel Hill, N.C., penned the program's 2004 fiction winner,
Nora The Nonapus, about a shy cephalopod with nine tentacles who helps save her classmates from a mean bullypus.
“It was difficult to choose two winners from the many outstanding submissions we received,” said David Krishock, president of Scholastic Book Fairs. “The level of sophistication and creativity demonstrated by this year's entries proves you are never too young to be an author.”
Twenty-five entries garnered Honorable Mention accolades. The runners up will each receive a certificate of merit and a $200 Scholastic Book Fairs merchandise certificate for their school.
JPEGs of book covers are available upon request.
Since its inception in 1986, the
Kids Are Authors competition has encouraged thousands of children to write and illustrate books. Scholastic publishes the winning books, which are distributed by Scholastic Book Fairs across the country. For more information about the
Kids Are Authors program, visit
www.scholasticbookfairs.com . Schools interested in participating in
Kids Are Authors can find information on the program, as well a complete listing of the winners, is available online at
www.scholastic.com/kidsareauthors.
Scholastic Book Fairs, in partnership with schools across the country, hosts more than 110,000 annual book-sale events, reaching more than 30 million children in pre-school through 9th grade. Book Fairs provide students, teachers and parents access to thousands of affordable books and educational products, help foster enthusiasm for reading and generate funds for school projects and classroom materials. Book Fairs feature newly released works, award-winning titles, classics, bestsellers and interactive software from more than 150 publishers.
Scholastic Corporation (NASDAQ: 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, magazines, technology-based products, teacher materials, television programming, film, 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, and school-based and direct-to-home continuity programs; retail stores, schools, libraries, and television networks; and the Company's Internet Site,
www.scholastic.com.