On Children’s Literature

Education / On Children's Literature / On Writing — No Comments
15
Jan 13

MacCheeky News Flash: MrsP.com Announces Winners of 4th-Annual Kids Writing Contest

Great news to ring in the New Year for Vermont and Virginia!

January 15, 2013 – MrsP.com announced today the names of the two Grand-Prize winners in its fourth annual “Be-a-Famous-Writer” contest, a nationwide creative-writing competition for children held every September.

Grace Lane, age 8, from Vermont, won top honors in the 4-to-8 year-old category for The Magic Piano, a fantasy about a piano that can read its owner’s mind and mimic the sound of other instruments, weather conditions, and even the 12-Days-of-Christmas characters.

Vermont's Grace Lane wins top honors in the 4-to-8 year-old category.

Adithi Ramakrishnan, age 12, from Virginia, won in the 9-13 age group for Home Perfect Home, a fable detailing the adventures of a bird searching the far reaches of the globe for true happiness.

Virginia's Adithi Ramakrishnan wins in the 9-13 age group.

“This year, I’m pleased to give awards not only to these talented, young authors but also to their schools,” said TV star Kathy Kinney, who portrays Mrs. P and is one of the creators of the website. “Each grand prize winner’s school will receive $300 to purchase books for their libraries from our sponsor, BuyerTopia. And what school in this economy couldn’t use more books?”

The Grand-Prize winners will have their stories produced as videos featuring Mrs. P, which will be presented on her free, critically-acclaimed website.

TV star Kathy Kinney, who portrays Mrs. P, is one of the creators of the free, critically-acclaimed website.

Original artwork by award-winning illustrator Robin E. Kaplan will help bring the stories to life. The videos will be posted on the website (www.MrsP.com) beginning in March. Each winner will also receive an actual bound copy of the story and illustrations made possible by sponsor Polka Dots Publishing. A copy of the book will be donated to the child’s school library in their honor.

The Magic Piano: a sample of artwork to come from award-winning illustrator Robin E. Kaplan.

The winners for this year’s contest were selected by an über-talented panel of judges:
Julia Roberts, Academy Award-winning actress and reading advocate;
Melina Gerosa Bellows, the Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Books, Kids and Family at National Geographic; and
Mary Frances Smith-Reynolds, who teaches second grade at Ivanhoe Elementary School in Silver Lake, CA.

Home Perfect Home: a sample of artwork to come, also by award-winning illustrator Robin E. Kaplan.

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.”

It has been a real pleasure to partner with MrsP.com for this year’s “Be-a-Famous-Writer” contest.
Congratulations Grace and Adithi! What a great way to kick start 2013!
You are a true inspiration to all young writers everywhere.

Anita

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Education / On Children's Literature / On Writing / Uncategorized — 6 Comments
17
Dec 12

MacCheeky News Flash: MrsP.com Announces Finalists for 4th National Kids’ Writing Contest

Good News for New Jersey and Arizona!

December 17, 2012 – MrsP.com announced today the names of finalists in the fourth edition of its popular Be-a-Famous-Writer contest, open to kids across the country between 4-13. Two states clearly stood out from the rest.

“We had wonderful entries from all over the United States, and it was hard to narrow it down to ten stories,” said Kathy Kinney, who stars as Mrs. P and who, before co-creating the website, was best known as Mimi on The Drew Carey Show. “New Jersey and Arizona both took the lead with two finalists each, which speaks well for their schools and educators. We weren’t looking for an East-West competition, but we’ve got it!” she added.

Kathy Kinney, who stars as Mrs. P, couldn't be more pleased with the entries received for this year's Be-A-Famous-Writer contest.

The Grand Prize winners will be chosen by a panel of celebrity judges, including Academy Award-winning actress and reading advocate Julia Roberts; Melina Gerosa Bellows, the Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer of Books, Kids and Family at National Geographic; and Mary Frances Smith-Reynolds, who teaches second grade at Ivanhoe Elementary School in Silver Lake, CA.

The finalists for the 4-8 age group are:
• The Magic Piano by Grace Lane, 8, Vermont
• The Horse Indeanna by Meridan Boyd, 8, Iowa
• The Royalty Cat, by Calista Wilk, 7, Arizona
• Girls vs. Ghouls, by Lily Ventnor, 7, New Jersey
• The Talking Gingerbread Man, by Ethan Kur, 7, Arizona

The finalists for the 9-13 age group are:
• The Bread of Generosity, by Andrea Langholff, 9, Wisconsin
• Moonshine, by Willa Lane, 9, Vermont
• Home Perfect Home, by Adithi Ramakrishnan, 12, Virginia
• The Mesa, by Caitlin Casady, 12, Oklahoma
• The Championship Game, by Lucas Daniel, 9, New Jersey

On January 15, 2013, the Grand Prize winner from each age group will be announced and will have their stories read by Mrs. P in videos featuring original illustrations and produced by a Hollywood production team. The videos will be posted for viewing by a global audience at the MrsP.com website. Winners will also receive a bound copy of their story, made possible by Polka Dots Publishing. Other contest sponsors include Powell’s Books and Sakura of America. Buyer Topia will donate books to the school libraries of the Grand Prize winners.

The Grand Prize winner from each age group will be announced on January 15, 2013!

About Mrs. P Enterprises, LLC.
Mrs. P Enterprises, LLC, was founded in 2008 by Hollywood team Clay Graham, Kathy Kinney, and Dana Plautz. After having built successful careers in television and New Media, the three creators of MrsP.com were brought together by a love of reading and a desire to help spark that same passion in young people everywhere. The company endeavors to expose young people to great books and stories through a celebrity storyteller and to spark their imaginations and creativity with on-line games and writing contests. Its production offices are located in Portland, Oregon and Los Angeles, California.

To all finalists: Congratulations on making it to this level and good luck!

Anita

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Education / On Children's Literature — 6 Comments
7
Dec 12

Apps With Curriculum One-Day Sale: Dec. 7!

Twelve educational apps that offer free Common Core-aligned curriculum are joining for a one-day sale Dec. 7. The discount day is being organized by Apps With Curriculum, a National Board Certified teacher’s movement to create curriculum for book apps.

Apps With Curriculum empowers educators.

“This group of developers are trendsetters that are joining with Apps With Curriculum and classroom teachers to educate,” said Cyndie Sebourn, founder of Apps With Curriculum. “They recognize the immeasurable value of providing curriculum for their book apps and are excited about being a valued asset to education.”

Cyndie Sebourn is the founder of Apps With Curriculum.

Apps participating in the one-day sale are Smarty Britches: Nouns, Treasure and the Lost Gold of Shark Island, Brush of Truth, A Lucky Escape, Battle with the Bugs, A Heart Pumping Adventure, Penelope the Purple Pirate, Gerry the Giraffe, A Royal Little Pest, A Royal Little Pest: Mine!, Choco Gets a Check Up, and Tractor Mac You’re a Winner. Discounted apps and free curriculum can be downloaded at http://appswithcurriculum.com/curriculum/.

I am very proud to have both MacCheeky Book story apps as part of Apps With Curriculum.

“Apps With Curriculum links book app developers with teachers to promote 21st Century Learning Skills,” said Sebourn, a retired teacher who was in the classroom for 25 years. “With curriculum, book apps serve a higher purpose. They become educational tools that provide extended learning for the classroom. Educators are excited to see Project-Based Learning and reading strategies that align with Common Core Standards and incorporate Bloom’s Digital Taxonomy. It empowers them to teach with technology and saves them countless hours in lesson planning.”

Apps With Curriculum was formed by Cyndie Sebourn, a retired National Board Certified Teacher, to create curriculum for book app makers. Sebourn also owns Sascyn Publishing, Inc., which creates educational book apps.

Sebourn is also the owner of Sascyn Publishing, Inc.

To download your free curriculum for all twelve of the apps mentioned above, visit http://appswithcurriculum.com/curriculum/.

Don’t forget to take advantage of Apps With Curriculum one-day sale which takes place on December 7 only. To help spread the word about Apps With Curriculum, kindly hit the retweet and/or FB “Like” button.

Thanks for stopping by,

Anita

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