After six exciting weeks of reading and voting, students at Woodland Elementary School in Hicksville have chosen Chris Van Dusen’s If I Built a School as the winner of this year’s schoolwide Tournament of Books. The imaginative story edged out the runner- up, The Big Cheese by Jory John and Pete Oswald, in a close final round.
The tournament, which kicked off in March, featured weekly head-to-head matchups between popular children’s titles. Each week, two books were read aloud to all classes, and students voted on their favorite. Other contenders in the bracket-style competition included The Dot, Lady Pancake & Sir French Toast, and Leonardo the Terrible Monster.
“The tournament was a wonderful way to build excitement around reading and foster a shared love of books throughout our school,” said librarian Christina Pietras. “The bulletin board tracking each round kept students engaged and talking about their favorites every day.”
Woodland Elementary Librarian Christina Pietras and students in front of the Tournament of Books bulletin board announcing If I Built a School by Chris Van Dusen the winner of the recent tournament.