We have over 150 participants registered to take part in The Little Book Adventure, and 36 took part in Project #1. I’ve also received many emails from others who began the project but didn’t quite finish in time.
I admit that the first project (although a good place to start) was a time consuming and difficult one. I’m thankful that we had so many people embrace the project, and I really feel the need to highlight each and every entry.
Choosing a winner was made incredibly difficult because I felt that simply undertaking the task for the benefit of children made everyone a worthwhile winner. I also saw positives in each entry.
So without further ado, here is the Judge’s Report. I hope you’ll take the time to appreciate every entry before finding the winning entry at the bottom of the post.
SPECIAL MENTIONS
I loved the following entries for their appealing and inviting atmosphere for children:
Robyn Fairclough and Denmark Public Library
Erica Sumners and Family
Jodi Wallace and Family
Peta Kennedy and Family
Tammy Tatnell and Family
Felicity St. John and Family
Nabeela Wahid and Family
Danielle Quarmby and Family
Melissa Squire and Family
Tammy Reid and Family
Jessica Lee and Family
Nic Taylor and Family
The following entries are clever because they are mobile and allow for children to enjoy their books in a range of places and spaces:
Jo Wilkinson and Winmalee Public School
Maria Pizzirusso and Family
Tash Sinclair and Family
Julia Mustac and Family
I just love the resourcefulness of the following entries:
Maria Pizzirusso and Family
Liz Carraway and Family
Cerys and Family
Melissa Ross and Family
Of utmost importance is making sure that books are accessible for children. This is certainly the case with the following entries:
Suzanne Hurley and Family
Rebecca Malo and Family
Monica McKinnon and Family
Catherine Gierak and Family
Jolene Humphrey and Family
Julia Mustac and Family
Laura ( You, Me and The Mindees)
I think the idea of categorising and sorting books is a great way for children to learn about different text types and themes. There were some clever organisational strategies employed in the following entries:
Amber Kite and Family
Christine Chin and Family
Carolyn Kendrick and Family
The following entries used more than books in their reading space. They embraced themes and included toys and props to create a rich reading experience for their children:
Kellie McCarthy and Family
Mandi Johnson and Family
Kerry Morris and Family
Rebecca Harvey and Family
Jodie McAlistar and Family
Natalie Duchess Cooper and Family
The entries below were submitted late which means that, unfortunately, they are not eligible to win. They are wonderful just the same and deserve a special mention too:
3M and Jennifer Snowball
Tristine Blackwell and Family
THE WINNER:
Thank you to each and every family, classroom and library that took part in this challenge. You all did a tremendous job, but there can only be one winner on this occassion. When it did come to selecting the winner, I used the following criteria to assist in making the final call:
- Creativity
- Appeal
- Accessibility
- Effort
- Child involvement
Choosing a winner was an agonising task. There were many strong contenders who successfully met the majority of the criteria. However, there was one entry that brilliantly met all five criteria. What really made this particular entry stand out from the other strong contenders was the involvement the children played in choosing the theme and books that would contribute to the special book display.
THE WINNING ENTRY:
‘The girls and I had fun rearranging some furniture to create our “Reading Corner”.
Cosy chairs and rainbows were the necessities according to my eldest. We decided to go for a rainbow look in the dollhouse , easy to just match up the colours.
We added a basket in the corner so we can quickly grab books and take them downstairs or for a ride in the car. Its filled with beach themed books this week, next week Easter books have been requested of course!
The other two bookshelves we have are hiding in the bottom of the wardrobe , they have all the larger books organised into categories
Finally the finishing touches include their favourite rug to kick their heels off on! A gorgeous “Magic Beach” frieze, a rainbow bear, a “Sail Away With A Book” print and my absolute favourite a tiny brainy smurf reading a book!!!
They gravitate to their new reading space so much! I now know where to look when all is quiet!’
Congratulations Erica Sumners and family, and to all who got involved with Project #1.
As the winner of the first project, Erica and her family have won a Tidy Books forward facing bookcase courtesy of Rose and Lily.
