Red-letter day for kid writers

Keven Mealamu will illustrate books by Josephine Sim, 7, and Ben Davies, 10. Photo / Dean Purcell

Eight young Kiwi authors will be bubbling with inspiration after meeting their sporting heroes and getting a story published, all in one day.

The winners of this year's Barfoot & Thompson Young Authors Challenge attended a workshop at the National Library in Auckland yesterday, where award-winning children's writer Maria Gill mentored the aspiring writers and helped craft their stories for publication.

The young creative minds - all aged between 7 and 12 - will see their stories brought to life and illustrated by rugby legend and artist Keven Mealamu, Silver Fern Anna Harrison and artists Tracey van Lent, Jun Arita and Erika Pearce.

The illustrators interviewed their assigned authors to find out more about their characters, with Mealamu sitting down with Josephine Sim, 7, from Cockle Bay School and Ben Davies, 10, from Patumahoe School.

Josephine's story Home Sweet Home was picked as the supreme winner and chosen as the cover story for the book.

The winners, selected from more than 1100 entries from primary and intermediate-aged children across Auckland and Northland, were chosen for their use of theme, development of characters and settings, and positive messages.

They will all feature in a professionally published storybook, with 15,000 copies provided to Starship children's hospital and Whangarei Hospital's children's ward.

The eight winners are:

Josephine Sim, Cockle Bay School - Home Sweet Home (supreme winner)

Nicole Daria, Royal Oak Primary School - Rodney's Adventure

Lucy Li, St Dominic's College - Black Cat's Venture

Jenna Hainsworth, Beachlands School - My Family, My Home

Ben Davies, Patumahoe School - The Topsy Turvy Day that Showed Maximus the Right Way

Caleb Palmer, Elim Christian College - Spotty's New Home

Antoine Ashman, Glenbrook School - Mr Cat

Emilia Finer, Kerikeri High School - Rangi Ruru