Letters from the White House

Don't you love getting letters? Everyone does, but nobody's writing anymore. Letter writing is an art that may soon be lost to texting and e-mail.

Introduce young readers and writers to one of the most personal and meaningful ways to communicate-with Letters from the White House, a national creative writing contest from the National Children's Book and Literacy Alliance, Reading Rockets, and AdLit.org. To participate, students write letters or journal entries that explore the history of America and tap into their own creativity when they imagine and write about the experience of living or working in the Executive Mansion.

Students are encouraged to find inspiration in the poetry, stories, illustrations, and information in the book Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, other titles and online resources.

The contest will launch on January 20, 2009, Inauguration Day, with entries due on February 16, 2009, Presidents Day. Five finalists will be chosen in each competition level and a grand prize winner will be named in each level on April 30, 2009, the 100th day of the new presidential term.

Contest information and resources for preK-grade 3 and for grades 4-12 are available from Reading Rockets and AdLit.org. At www.ourwhitehouse.org, companion website to Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out, parents will find useful information and historical resources to help students with research. Winning entries will be published online and prizes include copies of Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out and gift certificates to Better World Books.