September Story Winner: ‘My Little Unicorn’ by Sadie

Another month, another winner! Congrats to six-year-old Sadie, winner of the Faber-Castell Scribble Your Story contest for September! In Sadie’s winning book, “My Little Unicorn,” the main character, Hornicorn, goes on a great adventure and meets many friends along the way. 

Our guest judge this month is Laura Lee Gulledge, author of the beautiful and heartfelt graphic novel, Page by Paige, which was nominated for a YALSA (Young Adult Library Services Association) Award as a great graphic novel for teens. Gulledge’s illustrations are intricate and her main character is well-crafted. Gulledge shows perfectly how pictures can tell a wonderful story.

Sadie received $100 of art supplies from Faber-Castell including a Young Artists Essentials Gift Set. Here’s what Laura Lee wrote about Sadie’s book: I love tales with journeys and quests, so I was immediately drawn into “My Little Unicorn.”  The unicorn travels through different lands, picking up other animal friends along the way. They are all different and looking for where they fit in, which is something that I think everyone can relate to. Because everyone feels like they don’t belong sometimes! In the story the characters include a unicorn who has a rainbow tail, the skunk who is albino, and the redbird who is blue. Even though they see themselves as “wrong” because they are colored differently than everyone else, I think they are each more unique and beautiful because they are different. What could be more fun than a unicorn with a rainbow tail?? The drawings themselves were very colorful, vibrant, and fun to look at. My favorite drawing was on the second page with the green trees and flowers. The unicorn in the center of the page really pops! Sadie should be really proud; she did a great job with this book.”

Congrats again to Sadie! What a fun book with a great message. To read other great books written by kids, and to learn how to enter the Faber-Castell Scribble Your Story contest, check out the Scribble Press eBookshelf.

Vote for us!

Do you think Scribble Press is totally awesome? (We really hope so!)

We’re honored and excited to be a finalist in the Most Awesome Toy Shops and Book Stores category in Red Tricycle’s Totally Awesome awards.

We REALLY want to win, but we can’t do it without your help! If you love Scribble Press, please vote for us here (and tell your friends, too!). Voting ends October 14.

And, when you vote for Scribble Press, you’re automatically entered to win a $500 gift certificate from our friends and neighbors at giggle! Shop at giggle, and then come scribble!

Some reasons why Scribble Press is totally awesome:

“I like the people who help me and it is interesting to write a book and get to take it home.” – Aidan

 

 

 

 

“No one is telling you what to do – you just do it.” -Alex

 

 

 

 

“You can come up with anything, put it on paper, and then you have it forever.” – Spencer

 

 

 

Thank you to all our fans for your continued love and support! And for voting!

August Story Contest Winner: ‘The Adventure of Bob’ by Simon

CONGRATULATIONS to 10-year-old Simon, winner of this month’s Faber-Castell Scribble Your Story contest! Hidden treasure, far-away planets and a great escape were the topics of

Simon creating an award winning story and having fun doing so!

Simon’s creative and colorful comic book, “The Adventure of Bob.”

Our guest judge this month is Sherri Duskey Rinker, author of one of the best picture books of 2011, GOODNIGHT, GOODNIGHT, CONSTRUCTION SITE. Why we love Rinker:  Her book is filled with surprising rhymes and creative uses of words.  Also, she wrote Goodnight, Goodnight, Construction Site in her free time – while juggling multiple full time jobs as the head of her own graphic design firm and mom of two. What a great inspiration for all our aspiring young authors. Scribble Press was lucky to be able to host Rinker for a reading during her book tour, and we’re thrilled she’s joined us here to help choose the first of 12 winners of the Faber-Castell Scribble Your Story Contest! Simon received $100 of art supplies from Faber-Castell including a Young Artists Essentials Gift Set and a Comic Illustrations Set. Simon also received a gift certificate to make more books at Scribble Press.

Here’s what Sherri wrote about Simon’s book:

“I love the creativity shown in Simon’s book (dare I say “graphic novel?!”), The Adventure of Bob!
Simon shows great maturity in his illustration style and his ability to aptly divide up his pages into strong graphic vignettes that move the story along and keep the reader interested. Additionally, Simon’s plot twists are lively and his dialog nicely fits the illustrations (and sometimes elicits a laugh from the reader!). Simon’s’ combination of text and graphics make him a sure winner with a promising future ahead! (Nicely done, Simon. I can’t believe you’re only almost-11 years old!)”

Congrats again to Simon! We can’t wait to read all the stories you’ll write!

To read other great books written by kids, to learn how to enter the Faber-Castell Scribble Your Story contest, check out the Scribble Press eBookshelf.

Introducing: Inspiration Station

Hope everyone had a great summer! At Scribble Press, we’ve stayed busy working on some exciting things, including a brand spankin’ new INSPIRATION STATION! We created the Inspiration Station because we wanted to give kids more tools – fun pictures, drawings, words and other materials – to help spark their imaginations and creativity in an inviting setting. Hopefully all the things they see will aid in their own self-expression!

Here’s a little tour of what you’ll find at the Inspiration Station:

It's an elephant... in a dress!

Laminated photo cards – You’ll find hundreds of photos to help develop the who, what, where, when and why of a story, or just to help with illustrations. Elephant in a dress, anyone?

Story starters, twist ideas, and synonym cards – “And then, all of a sudden, I sprouted wings.”  Now you’ll never run out of interesting plot turns or get stuck thinking of the perfect word to describe something.

Inklings – These cards provide step by step drawing instructions for dozens of popular items, from spaceships to castles to dolphins.

Story stones – For the more tactile scribblers, each hand-painted stone contains a single word to help get those creative wheels turning!

What do you think of Inspiration Station? We’re always looking for new things to add, so please share your ideas!

Funny stories written by kids

One of the great things about kids is their wild imaginations. Not only do they have hilarious and unique ideas, they aren’t self-conscious like most adults grow to become. For the most part, kids don’t care if their stories sound silly or are too fanciful – they just want to have fun and share their ideas. It’s this combination that makes reading all our kid authors’ books so enjoyable, and seeing their faces when they receive their published copy so exciting.

Read and download free eBooks written by kids, for kids!

Here are a few funny excerpts from some of our most popular books from our library of books by kids, for kids: 
Katie Short Legs by Amy
The old couple named their child Katie Short Legs because she was so short and they liked the name Katie.

The Time I Went Real Wrong About Tights by Alex
I scoured through my closet of 156 pairs of tights. I looked at some purple and pink tights – a little too flashy. My poodle tights? Too girly. My candy cane tights? No, too winter holiday.

Happy Birthday Aunt Tricia by Emilia and Valentina
You’re pretty like a rainbow. You smell like a birthday cake.

Another Chance by Daniela
Then Olivia put on sparkles and sparkles and sparkles and sparkles and just so many sparkles!

To read more stories by kid authors, check out the Scribble Press eBook library. It’s free to read and download eBooks, and we’re adding new stories every day!

 

And the winner is…

Aidan was so thrilled to meet Anna, and she loved congratulating him on his book! “I am happy and excited,” Aidan said.

The votes have been tallied – with a whopping 255 “Likes,” five-year-old Aidan’s book, “How My Implant Changed Me,” has won our eBook Contest! Aidan will receive a publishing party at our New York Upper West Side location at the end of the month, where he’ll sign 20 copies of his book to give to friends and family.

A regular scribbler since our UWS studio opened, Aidan has written more than 10 books. He said he wrote “How My Implant Changed Me” to share his experience of having a cochlear implant.

Aidan wrote about being sad when he couldn’t hear people talking, how he was scared and then brave after going through two surgeries, and how he now loves to talk to his friends!

“I thought it would be a good book and people would know how I was a little boy and could not hear,” Aidan said.

When you create a book at Scribble Press (or by using the Author’s Tool Kit, available for purchase at scribblepress.com), you can turn it into an eBook (for free!), and share it with friends, family and other kids all over the world!

In fact, far away in LA, six-year-old August read Aidan’s story on an iPad and commented, “That was a cool story. I didn’t know you could get an operation to make you hear better.” 

New eBooks are being added everyday, so check back often for other amazing stories by kid authors, and congrats to all Scribblers who entered the contest and received votes!

Spread the creative love this Valentine’s Day

Showing people you love them is just important as saying, “I love you.”  This Valentine’s Day, creating unique and personal cards and gifts to give to loved ones will really show them you care. It’s easy to make gifts in our studio or at home – you just need some markers and little creativity! Try these ideas:

Create mini cards
Mini cards are the perfect sized Valentine’s Day cards. Adorn the front with messages like “Be Mine” or “Happy Valentine’s Day,” and use the back to write an extra personal message to your recipient. Check out our deal on Poppins Perks! You can make 30 mini cards for just $15 while helping a classroom get bookbinding materials. The offer is valid at all Scribble Press locations, so spread the love!

Write a book
Need a gift idea for one very special person? Write and illustrate a book that’s just for him or her. This book, “50 Things We Love About Daddy,” with lines like “Picks out groovy clothes for us” and “Gives the best hugs,” is the perfect mix of silly and sweet – guaranteed to make any dad’s day. If you need some help writing a book, our Cueprint, fill-in-the-blank style books with themes like “I Love You,” will provide some inspiration and help you create the perfect gift. You can also make a Valentine’s book at home by folding some pink and red construction paper in half and stapling them together.

Make a “pocket heart” craft
Cut out two hearts of the same size from construction paper and glue or staple the sides together, leaving the top separated. Decorate the hearts, and then have fun filling the inside of the pocket with candy, stickers, love notes and whatever else you can think of. For more Valentine’s Day crafting ideas, check out our February workshop calendar.

We’ll also be featuring Valentine’s Day on Club Scribble, so come visit the studio and get scribbling! And if you have other fun Valentine’s Day gift ideas, please share them in the comments section!