Print
E-Mail
tool name
closeYoung author makes splash with mermaid story
Lauren Kott, 9, wins Reading Rainbow writing contest
Nate Hulings
of the Gateway
Like many 9-year-old girls, Lauren Kott of Gig Harbor loves birthday parties, mermaids and princesses.
But instead of merely daydreaming about those special occasions and fantasy characters, Kott puts them into words and artwork.
Last month, Kott beat out 150 other Washington state third-graders to win the KCTS 9 and Reading Rainbow’s 15th annual Young Writers and Illustrators Contest.
Her piece, titled “Ruby and the Pink Pearl,” tells the story of a mermaid who is looking to find the perfect present for a friend.
“I love mermaids and princesses ... it just came to me,” Kott said.
As the first-place winner, Kott will get to read “Ruby and the Pink Pearl” for a KTCS 9 broadcast in July. She said she isn’t too nervous to make her TV debut.
“I just hope I don’t mess up,” said the third-grader from Lighthouse Christian School.
In the story, Kott harnessed her love of underwater life — with a little inspiration from Disney’s The Little Mermaid — to create a unique narrative.
“I can create things I wish I had, a fantasy world,” she said.
Kott made sure to give the mermaid wavy hair, a trait she has always wanted. She wrote and animated “Ruby and the Pink Pearl” over the course of a few weeks.
“You have to be able to write, know words and stay focused,” she said. “It’s stressful.”
Kott entered the same contest last year but did not receive any awards. So the news of this year’s success was greeted with screams and a frenzied run around her house.
In writing the story, Kott’s only speed bump was finding a good secret password that would open the oyster shell so Ruby the mermaid could retrieve a pink pearl.
She started with the standards: “Abracadabra” and “Open Sesame.” But then Kott remembered a word her late great-grandfather would frequently say after he had a stroke: “Believe.”
The message of believing in herself echoes throughout Kott’s life and family. She’s played the violin since she was 3, enjoys golfing and is encouraged to write by her grandmother, Shirley Hansen.
Hansen enjoys watching Kott exercise her writing and artistic abilities. Creative writing “gives children a chance to show off both these areas,” she said.
Hansen added the she would like to see the school get involved with writing contests and encourages parents and grandparents to do the same.
Kott’s classes at Lighthouse Christian also helped her creativity. Lighthouse Christian K-5 Principal Tim Hoy said the school emphasizes strong communication skills — skills that helped Kott win the competition.
“We are very proud of her,” Hoy said. “She’s a great kid, a really special girl.”
Kott said she loves fantasy writing because it allows her to be creative and make anything possible.
“You can go anywhere you want,” she said. “You can do anything you want with writing.”
Kott’s story will now head to a national competition.