LEEDS SCHOOL CHILDREN BECOME PUBLISHED AUTHORS AGED JUST SIX YEARS OLD!
Gifted young authors, from Victoria Primary School have won the Hallmark Story Buddies national literacy competition, becoming published
authors at the age of just six years old with their story, “Bigsby Gets a Pet
Mouse”, getting it published in time for Christmas!
The class fought off tough competition from
hundreds of school children aged between five and seven years old from across
the UK and Ireland who entered the national literacy initiative launched by
Hallmark Cards and supported by education advisors and the Confederate of
British Industry (CBI) to complement the school curriculum.
The competition required the children to write a story in no more than 200 words about a cute and cuddly Story Buddy called Bigsby. Story Buddies use innovative technology to allow the characters to actually join in as you read aloud to them, bringing the story to life. The winning book will be published and sold by Hallmark as an addition to the newest member of the Story Buddy gang – the lovable Bigsby, with a donation of sales going directly to the school for its entire lifecycle.
Following a public vote against 19 other shortlisted entries on Hallmark’s Facebook page, Victoria Primary School was chosen to win the coveted prize, with an overwhelming majority of the votes with their 200 word story, “Bigsby Gets a Pet Mouse”. The sweet tale of an unlikely friendship between Bigsby, the woodland creature and a cute mouse, penned by the young authors will become a brand new Story Buddies book that will launch in time for Christmas.
Victoria Primary School’s book, ‘Bigsby Gets A Pet Mouse’ will be available online from 1st December 2012 through www.hallmark.co.uk priced £3.00. Fifty percent of all proceeds from the book will be donated to the school. Bigsby himself and additional books in the series including ‘Bigsby’s Borrowed Shoes’ and ‘Bigsby’s Big News’ are also available from Hallmark stores, good independents and online.