Kane Miller Books' Poetry Collection Sparks Children's Writing Contest

Related: poetry

Jill Corcoran, compiler and contributing poet to the award-winning Dare to Dream ... Change the World, a children's collection of biographical and inspirational poems, has announced the Dare to Dream ... Change the World Annual Writing Contest for Kids. The grand-prize winner will receive $1500 worth of books for a school or public library of their choice. The top thirty entries will be published as a free e-book by Kane Miller Books.

Recently released by Kane Miller Books and illustrated by J. Beth Jepson, Dare to Dream ... Change the World features work from thirty renowned contemporary children's poets, including J. PatRick Lewis, current Children's Poetry Laureate. Each pair of poems in the 2012 Eureka! Silver Honor-winning anthology was inspired by someone whose actions made a difference, not only in their own lives, but in the lives of people all over the world. Subjects form a culturally diverse mix ranging from Jonas Salk to Steven Spielberg, from Christa McAuliffe to Michelle Kwan, with brief descriptions of their lives included. Poems by Jill Corcoran and Bruce Coville frame the biographical-inspired pieces.

According to Ms. Corcoran, the e-mail contest "aims to promote literacy, poetry writing, and nonfiction research while inspiring students to follow their own dreams." Following the format of the book, students in the third through eighth grade are invited to send a biographical poem together with a non-fiction paragraph about someone who not only dreamed, but took action and made the world better. Official rules can be found at daretodreamchangetheworld.com.

A free, downloadable curriculum guide for the book is also available both on the contest website and at kanemiller.com. The collection is proving to be a valuable classroom resource - a description of a classroom application was cited in the "Common Core Connections" column in the September 2012 Book List. Dare to Dream ... Change the World is available in independent bookstores, from local Usborne Books & More sales consultants and online at usbornebooksandmore.com.

Dare to Dream ... Change the World edited by Jill Corcoran. Illustrated by J. Beth Jepson. Published by Kane Miller, a Division of EDC Publishing • September 2012 • All ages • 40 Pages • $15.99 Hardcover • ISBN: 978-1-61067-065-4