LOUISVILLE, Colo. — It's hot dog day at Monarch PK-8 in Louisville, but that isn't the most exciting thing that's happening at lunch.
Children's author, Stan Tucker, is unveiling contest-winning books, written by students.
"We're helping young authors bring their books to life," said Tucker.
Tucker is the founder of Leap for Literacy, a nonprofit focused on helping kids develop strong reading and writing habits. His organization started by handing out free books to students who exhibit an act of kindness. Since then, it has grown to include a writing program and contest called, Share Your Story.
"We call it a writing experience. It's a step-by-step program where we guide kids through the process of writing their own books," said Tucker. "The incentive for the kids to give their best effort is that there's a contest, and at the end of the contest, we choose some books to be published and illustrated."
Seventh-grade student, Leta DeGiorgi's book, "Zenovia," started as just a paragraph after she saw the Dungeons & Dragons movie.
"I was like, 'Oh, this could make a cool book.' So, I wrote a short paragraph, which eventually turned into the book I have today," said DeGiorgi.
The lunchroom presentation was the first time Leta had seen her finished book and she was excited about seeing her characters come to life through illustration.
"I think it looks really good. I love the way they illustrated the main character. I also love the way they illustrated the side character and the dog," she said.
Eighth-grader, Evie Leslie's work, "Anomalies," won for her grade. Her book was not yet ready for publication, but she was already proud.
"I might cry, yeah," Leslie said of her excitement in seeing her book for the first time.
"I was writing for a little bit before, and then this kind of gave me an opportunity to get it published. I'm just excited to see something that I made in real life, like that," she said.
For Tucker, getting a child excited about reading and writing means he is hitting his target.
"Writing a book is a process and a process takes time. And, if you take a step-by-step approach to writing a book, or anything you do in life, whether it's becoming a teacher, a doctor, professional athlete, if you take a step-by-step approach, one step at a time, you can complete it," said Tucker.
If you'd like to find out more information about Leap for Literacy or Share Your Story, visit LeapForLiteracy.org and StartYourStories.com.
Denver7 is committed to making a difference in our community by standing up for what's right, listening, lending a helping hand and following through on promises. See that work in action, in the videos above.