This giveaway is now closed. Thanks for stopping by. The winner is Cori W. Congrats!
My love of books likely stems from my childhood. Growing up as an only child, my mother placed a great emphasis on reading and writing and I’ve strived to follow her example with my own children. I think her secret desire was for me to author a book. And while the thought has crossed my mind, it’s not something I’ve pursued.
Cheerios recently launched their annual New Author Contest which will grant one aspiring author $5,000, a possible publishing deal with Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing, and his/her book featured inside Cheerios boxes across the country.
The contest encourages aspiring children’s authors to write an original story for children ages 3-8 in English or Spanish. Cheerios believes that reading is a key building block for learning and life and founded the Spoonful of Stories program to help families connect with their children and foster a love of reading within them.
As a mom to a child who will be going to kindergarten in just one year, I’m cognizant of how important those 20 minutes a day are. Whether you have an infant or a teenager, there are things you can do to make the most of reading time. Here are some tips, courtesy of the program:
Babies and Toddlers Under 1 year
· Very young children are attracted to brightly colored pictures of simple objects.
· Young children listen and respond well to books with simple texts and good rhythms.
· Wordless books provide visual and mental stimulation and encourage children to create their own stories.
· Board and cloth books are great for this age since they’re difficult to destroy
Nursery School and Pre K Children Between 2-4 years
· Look for Mother Goose, nursery rhymes, and other books that show familiar objects and experiences.
· Young children like listening to slightly complex texts with good rhythm and effective word repetition.
· They’re also coordinated enough to have constructive fun with toy-like books that pop up, move, or provide other astonishments.
Kindergarten and Early School Years (Children between 5-8 years)
· Some children may learn to read before they’re in the first grade while most learn during first grade or later
· Picture books with strong storylines and character development are especially good for reading aloud or with kids.
· If your child is reading independently, choose a book with a straightforward story that has familiar, everyday words. Some publishers produce “easy readers” that independent readers often enjoy.
· Third-graders are often able to handle stories of some complexity. The vocabulary should be relatively familiar but include some challenging words.
· A lot of informational books have been published for the early grades. These books encourage children to read about topics that interest them and satisfy their curiosity for complex subjects.
Later Elementary and Middle School Years (Children between 9-12 years and older)
· Think about your child’s personality, likes, and dislikes. This will help you choose between an informational book or a novel in an area that your child is interested in.
If you’d like to submit a story, be sure to review the guidelines posted on the site. Entries will be received through July 15th, 2011.
Win It! One of you will win a Spoonful of Stories prize pack which will include a box of Cheerios with 2009 grand prize winner Laurie Isop´s book inside, as well as a “create-your-own” book kit for kids that contains two hard cover books and all the necessary materials to creatively fill the pages inside, including story starter ideas and colored pencils. Simply leave me a comment with something that makes a children’s book timeless OR your idea for a children’s book. Comments will close on May 17th, 2011 at 11:59 PM PST.
US Residents only. Duplicates and comments not including the above information will be disqualified. Comments are moderated. If you don’t see your comment in a reasonable amount of time, send me an email. Bloggers and non-bloggers may enter. If you don’t want to leave your email address, please be sure to check back for my announcement on the winner. Please note that winners must respond within 48 hours of being announced/contacted or another winner will be drawn.
Want an extra entry? Do any or all of the following and receive an extra entry for each one. Be sure to leave me a separate comment for each additional entry.
Follow me on Twitter AND tweet about the contest.
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Blog about this giveaway. It doesn’t have to be a separate post. Just include a blurb about it when you blog about other giveaways.
Click on one of the very cute buttons below and digg, stumble, fav, etc. Just let me know what you did in the comments!
No compensation was received for this post. Review and giveaway items were supplied by MyBlogSpark.
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Lisa says
With everything going on in the world right now, it would be great to have a children’s book that helped to explain about it.
sandy says
bullying would be good
susanlanai says
I think characters make a book timeless ~ ones you just learn to love!
susanlanai says
I follow and tweeted.
http://twitter.com/#!/susanlanai/status/65313154997030912
susanlanai says
I Like you on Facebook.
susanlanai says
I subscribe via email.
susanlanai says
I clicked on the Google Buzz button.
cherice says
A book on going green for kids would be neat! Thanks for the chance.
cherice says
I subscribe 🙂
Alicia Webster says
My idea for a children’s book is one written about patriotism and American ingenuity, There are so few books instilling nationalistic pride in our kids.
Alicia Webster
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Alicia Webster says
I follow you on Twitter(5webs) and I Tweeted
http://twitter.com/#!/5webs/status/65497889291517952
Alicia Webster
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Alicia Webster says
I like you on FB(Alicia Webster)
Alicia Webster
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Alicia Webster says
E-mail subscriber
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Alicia Webster says
I liked this post using the button below
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Alicia Webster says
I shared on FB
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Alicia Webster
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clarisa says
a book is timeless when its simple enough to be understandable and relate-able to children yet interesting enough to want to be read over and over
Marie says
Have you read “My Grand-Mom Told Me…” by Marie Elaina Gordon? I think you’ll find it’s the type of book you described. it’s on Amazon.com. There’s a comment a little girl made about how much she liked it and kept reading it over and over.
clarisa says
http://twitter.com/cneiding/status/65615580689997824 tweet
clarisa says
facebook like you
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subscriber
clarisa says
stumbled
JW says
To make it timeless it just needs to be entertaining and memorable.
JW says
email subscriber
Marci says
I have always liked books that rhyme. They make reading fun and interesting.
Marci says
FB Fan!
Marci says
Email Subscriber!
Debra Hall says
a book explaining the facts of war to kids would be good
Debra Hall says
im a facebook fan
Trisha Lynn says
I think a good moral can make a book last a lifetime!
Trisha Lynn says
I like you on FB!
Trisha Lynn says
I subscribe by email!
Trisha Lynn says
I faved this!
Desiree @ Wee Share says
When I was young, I wrote a kids book about a child’s dinosaurs coming to life and helping him to clean his room. I’d like to rework that concept now into a book.
Desiree @ Wee Share says
liked the post on FB- Desiree G.
Miranda Ward says
Childrens books that have great attention keepers are great!
[email protected]
Cori Westphal says
I have an idea for a book about animals. And each animal is different and I’d love to tell a story about why each animal is special in their own way!
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Cori Westphal says
I follow you on Twitter @coriwestphal
Tweet: http://twitter.com/coriwestphal/statuses/70137165283196928
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Cori Westphal says
I’m an email subscriber, coriwestphal at msn dot com.
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Cori Westphal says
I like you on Facebook: Cori Eckstrom Westphal (facebook.com/coriwestphal)
coriwestphal at msn dot com
Anna W. says
A children’s book is timeless if I had it read to me as a child and I also want to read it to my children! I like “Love You Forever,” “The Horrible Holidays,” and “The Flying School Bus.”
Ed Nemmers says
A book about hope speaks to timelessness!
Melanie says
I like beautiful unique illustrations.
Laura Emerson says
I think a good book would be about children who accomplish so much even when they are faced with challenges like Autism. It would be so inspiring to those who have it as well as showing other children that when they seem a child different than themselves, inside they really are all the same.
Laura Emerson says
I like you on Facebook.
Laura Emerson says
I subscribe.
susan smoaks says
i would write a children’s book about one love
valancia says
Timeless= anything with animals in it
skyxsky27(at)gmail.com
Jessica says
Timeless books for me are ones that capture my imagination in a make believe land.
Jessica says
Liked you on Facebook
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Subscribe to your feed
Jessica says
I liked the giveaway post on Facebook.
Gianna says
I’d love to make a cookbook for children.
Veronica Garrett says
A book is timeless when it is enjoyed by both children and adults. When you enjoy reading to your children and your grandchildren the book you enjoyed when you were a child.
Gianna says
I’m an email subscriber.