Our Reading Contest Winners

 

All summer long our Bulldog Readers have been taking photos of themselves reading in unusual places. The goal was to READ all summer and have FUN! I hoped to create a summer of reading memories for our Bulldog Readers.

I have a lifetime of reading memories.  I can’t remember a time when I didn’t read.  That’s also why this summer when I went back to my hometown in Massachusetts, I made sure I took a photo of the first library I ever visited when I was a little girl.

Townsend Public Library, Townsend, MA.
 

I had many fond memories of finding books inside that brick building. Reading roots can run deep. Hopefully our Bulldog Readers are developing the same kind of memories with their favorite libraries too!

 Today however, is the day to announce the winners of our contest!

There is no doubt in my mind that all of these readers are winners. The fact that they spent time choosing a special place to read and got photographed doing it, tells me everything I need to know. However at the beginning of the summer, I said it would be a contest. Little did I know how difficult it would be to pick winners.

 

That’s why I enlisted some help from my blogging friends, AA and BB who live near Victoria, Australia.

BB and her Mom, our Australian judges!

 All summer, they read each post about our readers and wrote comments about each photo. In August I asked them to help me pick some winners. They know the photos as well as I do! BB also has a fabulous blog. I hope you will click on the link to her blog and make comments too!

 We decided on four categories of winners and 13 top winners!

The categories are:

Outstanding Contribution

Dangerous Reading

US Landmark Places

Heart felt Photos

Thirty-two students participated and four staff members, plus Pigeon!

Pigeon at The Motif, an historic lobershack in Rockport, MA.

Each student who participated will get a book and a bookmark!

We also have one other winner. He didn’t submit a photo, but he DID write comments all summer on most of our reading posts!

A HUGE congratulations to Alex for being such a great blog commenter!

To find out all thirty-two winners, watch our Animoto movie!

Winners, please stop by the new library and pick up your prizes!

***************

What did you think about our reading contest?

What was the best book you read recently!

Leave us a comment and let us know!

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27 thoughts on “Our Reading Contest Winners

  1. Dear Mrs. Hembree,
    I really enjoyed the amazing photos of students and teachers reading this summer. I especially loved the photo of the girl reading in a shopping cart. Thanks for making such a fun and creative project!
    From Mrs. Adair

    • Dear Mrs. Adair,
      I think the photo you sent in of you reading in Mexico was really superb! It must have been very hot outside when you took that photo!

      I agree with you that Ayla sitting in the shopping cart and reading inside the bookstore was very funny!

      I love how our students found fun ways to read this summer!

      From,
      Mrs. Hembree

  2. Dear Summer Readers,

    We thought that your photos were great ! We also thought that the contest was really fun. We even had two of our own students in the contest! How did all the readers get all those great pictures?

    Your friends,
    Ms. Valenta’s class

    • Dear Ms. Valenta’s Class,
      Thank you so much for the great comment! The reading contest was lots of fun wasn’t it?

      You asked a good question about how the readers got those great pictures. I think perhaps their families helped them take the photos, and then they emailed them to me. After that, I just put them on the blog! As soon as your class comes to the library, you will be able to see all the photos on a special bulletin board I have up front.

      See you in class soon!
      Mrs. Hembree

  3. Dear Mrs. Hembree, Bianca, and AA,

    Great choices made! I loved all the categories that you had. This idea was so clever, plus it encourages reading. Thank you so much!

    What readers you have in Seattle!

    Next summer, I’ll try to participate too!

    Your pal,
    Mrs. Y♥llis
    California

    • Dear Mrs. Yollis,
      Thank you so much for taking the time from your new school year to comment on our post! I am so thrilled with all the fabulous reading photos we had.

      I hope you do join us next summer! I definitely will do this again.

      What book are you reading aloud to your class as you begin your new school year?

      Your friend in Seattle,
      Mrs. Hembree

  4. Dear Mrs. Hembree, I loved seeing pictures of my friends at AG Bell reading around the world and around town! I even saw pictures of my new classmates in Mrs. Adair’s class. I liked this. It was fun. I’ll hopefully see you tomorrow when I come get my book and bookmark. Thank you! -Nicholas

  5. Dear Mrs. Hembree,
    Thank you for such a fun contest. The kids had fun looking for “fun” and “interesting” places to read. All of the photos you posted are winners!!

    • Dear Mrs. Martin,
      I think I had the most fun receiving all of the amazing photos and enjoying the stories that went with them! I did a lot of imaginary trips with our students as they traveled all over the country this summer!

      Thanks for taking the fabulous photos of your children at Yellowstone!

      From,
      Mrs. Hembree

  6. dear mrs. hembree,
    you did a great job on the video you must have worked hard this summer on the contest and that was very nice of you. It was very nice of AA and BB to judge for us and it was nice to see their picture.
    it will be fun if we have this contest again.

    love josa

    • Dear Josa,
      You sent in the most photos and they were all terrific! You clearly had a very busy summer!

      I also received a wonderful pile of books on my desk from you and your family! Thank you so much! I had been looking for the picture book about the red pen and hadn’t found it yet. Now we have it for the library! Woo-hoo!

      Stop by soon for your prize!
      Mrs. Hembree

    • Dear Mrs. Yollis,
      My very favorite read aloud for your age group is called Dragonling by Jackie French Koller. It was out of print, but recently the publishers have run a collector’s edition. I have recommended this book to many teachers, and have always received rave reviews! It was also the favorite with my students when I was a classroom teacher.

      It’s the first book in a fantasy genre chapter book series. A young boy adopts a baby dragon after his mother was killed by the hunters in his village. Having a pet baby dragon causes lots of problems in a place where people have feared dragons for centuries!

      Perhaps your library has it!
      Your friend,

      Mrs. Hembree

  7. Dear Mrs Hembree,

    Congratulation to everyone who took part in this wonderful comp.
    You are all winners and beleive me BB and I found it very difficult to pick who would win.

    Like Mrs Yollis mentioned you really do have super readers in Seattle.

    Thank you also to you Mrs Hembree for letting BB and I take part in this awesome comp.

    From your pal down under,
    AA.

    PS Mrs Yollis,
    thank you for your kind words!

  8. Dear Mrs Hembree,
    Readingtastic post.

    Your Animoto was AWESOME no it is EXCELLENT I love your Animoto. I love how you placed them into their own Categories it was awesome.

    So far I have been reading Horrondo’s Curse and it so good.

    Horrondo would never say a rude word to anyone not even the pirates he had to work for. You might like to read this book one day Mrs Hembree. 🙂

    The reading contest was awesome and thank you for letting me take part of this competition. I really enjoyed it Mrs Hembree.

    From your pal,
    Bianca.

  9. Dear Mrs.Hembree , The winners are bulldogs and I think you Mrs.Hembree for the thinking me. Is it me? I always comment on your blog because a bulldog is cool and awesome because you post good things over the summer. I will be doing my happy dance right now. 🙂 If you tell Ms or Mrs.Lawson she will be excited. So how is you dog? Keep on making posts and Effort and coolness. You fan Alex.

  10. Dear Mrs Hembree and the Bulldog Readers,

    I am very proud of my former student, Bianca, and her mum, Alma, on their terrific work with your reading competition! Go girls!

    I love reading and summer holidays are such are terrific time to read lots of books.

    I recently read the book The Help and I am looking forward to seeing the new movie version of it next week.

    It’s fun to see movies that are based on books but I always think books are better. What do you think?

    Happy reading everyone!
    Mrs M☀rris

    • Dear Mrs. Morris,
      The help that BB and her mother gave me was immeasurable! You are lucky to know them and be able to visit them in person! I hope someday to visit Australia and meet all of you!

      I just finished reading The Help this week too. Now I’ve given it to my daughter to read and then we are going to see the movie together. I have been told that I will need to bring lots of tissues as it’s a wee bit of a tear jerker movie. I usually don’t ever see the movie after I have read the book because they always disappoint me. However, I have heard from many friends who both read the book and saw the movie and they say the movie follows the book quite well. I will look forward to hearing what you think!

      Enjoy your movie!
      Mrs. Hembree

      • Dear Mrs. Morris and Mrs. Hembree,
        I read The Help, too and loved it. Wish the three of us could go to the movie together.
        from,
        Mrs. Lynch

        • Dear Mrs. Lynch and Mrs. Morris,
          I think it would be a miracle of technology if the three of us could watch The Help – you in Canada, Mrs. Morris is Australia and me in Washington state! I bet in a few years, it will somehoe become possible.
          In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the movie if you decide to go see it!

          From,
          Mrs. Hembree

          • @ Mrs Lynch and Mrs Hembree,

            Yes, I love the idea of us seeing the movie together. That would be fun!

            I saw the movie today with Miss Jordan and my sister and we all thought it was great. In fact, it was a lot like what I imagined in my head when I was reading the book. That doesn’t happen too often!

            Your friend,
            Mrs Morris

  11. Dear Mrs.Hemmbree , thank you for the gift for me. I wonder where is your library is? Is it next to the to safety net? Where did you get the hat? Have you drank the Slurpee in at 7Eleven.You student Alex.

    • Dear Alex,
      Yes, it’s hard to find the library now! We have moved to the pre-school building and right across from where you can buy lunch. I will see you next week! I have your hat saved for you!
      You know Alex, I can’t really remember the last time I stopped in a 7-Eleven store. It sounds like those Slurpees are perfect for hot summer days!
      Stay Cool!
      Mrs. Hembree

  12. What a great contest this was! So many fun pictures and Alex, what a great job you did participating – I enjoyed your comments very much.
    How nice of AA and BB to help and I would encourage anyone reading this who has not checked out BB’s blog to do so. Josa and I have enjoyed all of her wonderful posts.

    Thank you Mrs. Hembree for inspiring us to read creatively,
    Judy

  13. Dear Bulldog Readers,
    This was an awesome contest and I am very impressed with your results. The photos are amazing. I think it is great that AA and BB helped you, Mrs. Hembree choose the categories and winners. Great collaboration. I need to get on my next post and announce the winners of our summer reading contest. What prizes did you decide on? I read a lot this summer, too. Do you know about Goodreads? Its a social network for readers.
    from,
    Mrs. Lynch

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