It is with great pleasure that Teaching Tiny Tots has been asked to assist in giving special recognition to these young writers. Two children have been selected as the grand prize winners from Mrs.P.com’s in its “Be a Famous Writer” contest, a nationwide creative writing competition held in September. Mrs.P’s Be a Famous Writer contest was open to children between the ages of 4-13. This will be the second year that this exciting event is being held. The response was fabulous and young writers from 26 states participated!
TV star Kathy Kinney, who portrays Mrs. P and is one of the creators of the website said, “I was also very happy about the number of teachers who used the writing contest as a class project. Encouraging one child to write an original story is wonderful. Encouraging 30 is absolutely amazing.”
…and the Winners are…
Briana Beebe, 8, of Centennial, Colorado, won top honors in the 4 to 8 year old category for “Mountain Dog,” the story of a beloved pet that disappears during a family’s move to a new home.
Bill Wang, 12, from West Linn, Oregon, won in the 9-13 age group for “Lucky the Bamboo Chopper,” the fable of a young panda bear who learns an important life lesson.
The Grand Prize winners will have their stories produced as videos featuring Mrs. P, which will be presented on her popular free, interactive digital website. Original artwork will be created by award-winning illustrator Robin E. Kaplan bringing the stories to life. The videos will be available for viewing on Mrs.P.com’s website beginning in March. Not only will these children have their stories featured on Mrs.P’s website, but each winner will also receive an actual bound copy of the story with illustrations. What an incredible way to showcase these young writers!
Powell’s Books, the country’s largest independent bookseller and the sponsor of the contest, will provide the Grand Prize winners and eight other finalists with gift certificates to its store. The stories will also be available as a free download bundle from iTunes on March 2nd in celebration of Read Across America Day.
Two other stories have been selected to be produced into videos on Mrs.P.com: “The Peanut Butter and Jelly Hotdog,” written by a 5-year-old and chosen because of its clever and compassionate look at grade-school bullies; and “Ramona and the Fire,” honored for its amusing twist on “The Boy Who Cried Wolf” fable.
The judges for this year’s contest included some of the world’s most famous writers: Meg Cabot, #1 best-selling author of “The Princess Diaries”; Jim Davis, creator of Garfield, the most popular cartoon strip in the world; and Danny Kallis, creator of the Disney Channel’s “The Suite Life of Zack and Cody” and “The Suite Life on Deck,” television’s top-rated shows for kids.
MrsP.com was launched in 2008 to encourage a love of reading. The website is the recipient of the American Library Association’s “Great Website for Kids.”
congratulations Briana and Bill!!!