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.
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No compensation was received for this post. Review and giveaway items were supplied by MyBlogSpark.
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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.
bullying would be good
I think characters make a book timeless ~ ones you just learn to love!
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A book on going green for kids would be neat! Thanks for the chance.
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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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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
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.
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To make it timeless it just needs to be entertaining and memorable.
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I have always liked books that rhyme. They make reading fun and interesting.
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a book explaining the facts of war to kids would be good
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I think a good moral can make a book last a lifetime!
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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.
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Childrens books that have great attention keepers are great!
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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!
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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.”
A book about hope speaks to timelessness!
I like beautiful unique illustrations.
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.
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i would write a children’s book about one love
Timeless= anything with animals in it
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Timeless books for me are ones that capture my imagination in a make believe land.
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I’d love to make a cookbook for children.
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.
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