On Saturday March 5, I attended a reception at the Deschutes County Library in Redmond, Oregon for 25 finalists of the 4^th grade illustrated story project. This is becoming an annual event and is now sponsored by the Central Oregon Writer’s Guild. All the 4^th graders in the Redmond School District are given the opportunity to join in this competition.

Local authors and illustrators help set the guidelines, instruct the students and teachers on what is expected, and judge the entrants. Of course, I was the illustrator judge. It took a few hours to go through all the entries to say the least!

The Winner, Caleb, wrote Mystery Island where dragons live. The Runner Up, Megan, wrote Popeye the Pumpkin a story about a lonely pumpkin and his friendship with a pony. She also added some pages at the end about her characters and the scene where the story takes place.

Caleb and Megan read their stories aloud to the audience. There were goodies and lemonade for all. Copies of the stories were signed by Caleb and Megan for those who wanted a copy of their books. With sponsorship help, the Writer’s Guild was able to get both books bound, copied, and made ready for library use. Copies will be kept in the library for anyone who wants to check them out.