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Thompson’s Station Student Is a Repeat Winner in Reading Rainbow National Young Writers & Illustrators Contest
Student who entered through NPT pens and illustrates a winning sequel
NASHVILLE, Tennessee – July 2, 2008 – Kieran Morris of Thompson’s Station may have a successful franchise on his hands. Morris, a home-schooled Second Grader, has been awarded a national third place award in the Second Grade category in The14th Annual READING RAINBOW Young Writers & Illustrators Contest. Extraordinarily, his winning story, TRACTORMAN SAVES THE SAVANNAH, is the sequel to the story he won the national Grand Prize for in the First Grade category last year, TRACTORMAN SAVES THE RAINFOREST.
This year, our landscaping hero and his compatriots, having tended to environmental concerns in the original book, turn their sights toward saving endangered animals in Africa. Morris’s winning national entry can be viewed, along with other winning local entries, at the NPT Parents & Kids section of wnpt.org. The illustrated stories of all of this year’s national Contest winners will be displayed on READING RAINBOW’s Web site in early August 2008. “We knew the minute his entry arrived that he had a great chance to win another national prize,” said Jo Ann Scalf, Director of Education for NPT. “It’s exciting to see one of the children who entered at the local level go on to be a national winner, and we’re extremely happy for him and proud of all the talented children in Middle Tennessee who entered the contest this year. We just hope Kieran remembers us when he hits the bestseller list!”
The Annual READING RAINBOW Young Writers & Illustrators Contest, public television’s longest running and most successful outreach effort, encourages children to use their imagination to author and illustrate their own “book.” Nashville Public Television was one of 113 public television stations participating in this year’s Contest, and Morris, who entered through the local contest at NPT, is one of only 12 authors selected from more than 45,000 Contest entrants nationwide. As a national third place award winner, Morris takes home an iPod and 3 sets of Reading Rainbow DVDs and books.
Contest entries from Kindergarteners through third graders are first judged at the local level, with local winners advancing to the national competition. NPT received hundreds of entries this year from children in its Middle Tennessee viewing area. Two rounds of national judging culminated in a final judging by a distinguished panel that included children’s book publishers, a children’s author, teacher, librarian and university professor.
All local Contest participants received a Certificate of Achievement signed by READING RAINBOW’s host LeVar Burton. NPT also recognized area winners with gift certificates to Barnes and Noble Booksellers in Cool Springs and ceremony and performance at the Nashville Children’s Theatre.
The acclaimed PBS KIDS television children’s series READING RAINBOW airs weekdays at 1:00 p.m. on NPT-Channel 8 and nationwide on most PBS stations. Designed to encourage children to develop a love of reading and books, the series is now in its 25th season, making it the second-longest running PBS KIDS series still in production. The series has been honored with 26 Emmy Awards, including two in 2007 ― for “Outstanding Children’s Series” and “Outstanding Writing In A Children’s Series.” The Annual READING RAINBOW Young Writers & Illustrators Contest is conducted by READING RAINBOW with funding from presenting sponsor Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Inc. and The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the national Contest is produced by WNED-TV/Buffalo and Smarterville Productions LLC.
About Nashville Public Television
NASHVILLE PUBLIC TELEVISION is available free and over the air to nearly 2.2 million people throughout the Middle Tennessee and southern Kentucky viewing area, and is watched by more than 600,000 households every week. The mission of NPT is to provide, through the power of traditional television and interactive telecommunications, high quality educational, cultural and civic experiences that address issues and concerns of the people of the Nashville region, and which thereby help improve the lives of those we serve.
About PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO!
PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, are committed to providing the highest quality non-commercial content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age-appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), PBS Teachers (pbs.org/teachers), PBS Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation’s 355 public television stations, serving nearly 73 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.
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Cover of Tractorman Saces the Savannah. Click for Larger Version. * * *
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