MILFORD - When he wrote and illustrated his book, Milford School second-grader Evan Krueger never anticipated winning a contest for it.
So when his teacher, Suzanne Lucas, told him he won first place in regional competition for the Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest, he was taken by surprise.
"I just didn't really believe her," Krueger said Tuesday morning.His illustrated story, "How President Krueger Saved the Environment," now goes on to the national Reading Rainbow competition in Nebraska. Lucas said they will find out how Krueger's story does at nationals in July.
In Krueger's story, an oil spill occurs off the coast of Florida. President Krueger must find a way to clean the spill up and carry oil away safely. When planning for the story, Krueger said, his mom told him to come up with four ideas to write about. After thinking about pollution, homelessness, war and one other idea he couldn't remember Tuesday morning, he said he settled on pollution. It took him two weeks to write the story.
Lucas said Krueger won the regional contest through WNIT PBS channel 39. All entries went to the station and the staff picked a winner to send to nationals. Krueger won in the K-2 division.
Krueger said he hopes to win at nationals "because then I get a lap top!" Second place, he said, is a TV/DVD combo.
For winning at the regional level, Lucas said Krueger will receive a Reading Rainbow backpack with books and DVDs.
On May 20, regional winners will be honored at a reception, Lucas said.
More than 60,000 entries were submitted this year. In Krueger's division, Lucas said, his story will go up against 300 others.
Writing and making the illustrated story was an enrichment exercise initially for Krueger, Lucas said.
