WGBY Announces Winners Of The Reading Rainbow Young Writers And Illustrators Contest
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The finalists were drawn from more than 150 children who submitted original story books that they had written and illustrated, according to Heather Lavigne, WGBY Director of Education and Outreach.
“Now in our second year of offering the contest, we were thrilled to see all the great stories from local children,” Lavigne noted. “It’s wonderful to know that a quality program like Reading Rainbow has inspired so many young people to use their own creativity and imaginations.
“Better yet, it was great to see the geographic representation from all four counties in western Massachusetts and Connecticut. This is yet another way that we can reach out to the families of our community and offer a way for parents and children to spend quality time together,” she added.
Sponsored by the award-winning PBS television series Reading Rainbow, the Contest, now in its 14th year, attracts more than 40,000 entries nationally each year. WGBY together with more than 100 other PBS stations nationwide sponsor the event. Kindergarten through third graders enter by creating an original story with illustrations and submitting it with an official entry form to WGBY.
Airing weekdays at 6:30 a.m. on WGBY, and at 1 p.m. on WGBY Kids (D) Reading Rainbow builds lasting friendships between children and books. The Contest builds on the program’s mission to stimulate a child’s interest in reading.
This year’s winners are:
Kindergarten:
1st: The Lonely Alligator by Emma Elson, Hadley MA
2nd: The Dragon and The Unicorns by Abigail Meunier, Huntington MA
3rd: Me and My Buddy by Claire Elizabeth Lynch, Lenox MA
First Grade:
1st: A Tale of a Hummingbird by Isabella Corbett, Pittsfield MA
2nd Hungry Tiggy by Tristan Young Buscemi, Springfield MA
3rd: The Queen’s Poem by Caroline Crone, Granby CT
Second Grade:
1st: The Best Friend a Bear Could Have by Anna Louise Lynch, Lenox MA
2nd: The Day Frog Made it Rain Flies by Christopher Schilling, Lenox MA
3rd: A Special Place by Augusta Fricke, Amherst MA
Third Grade:
1st: The Three Little Frogs by Elizabeth Ford, Springfield MA
2nd: A Lunch Break Adventure by Kylie P. Buscemi, Springfield MA
3rd: Puppy Love by Hannah Griswold, Westhampton MA
WGBY (www.wgby.org), a community supported public broadcasting organization, connects the people of western New England to events, ideas and each other through national PBS programming and locally produced series and specials. With an additional four digital television channels, video on demand, podcasting and streaming video, WGBY is one of the region’s most accessible community institutions, providing lifelong learning opportunities for all.
