Win a library contest; get a trip to the bookstore.
JoAnn Hickman got herself a $10 Barnes & Noble gift certificate with her victory in the Rowlett Public Library’s Edible Book Contest.
And the irony of sending a library patron to a book store wasn’t lost on Library Services Director Kathy Freiheit.
“Book lovers, we want to reward them,” Freiheit said. “These bibliophiles, they just love books from all sources. Maybe she will go get a coffee and book we don’t have.”
Hickman won with a cake decorated to recreate the cover of “Goodnight Moon” by Margaret Wise Brown. Her entry was selected in competition with four others by 43 library patrons who made their choices based on photos of the entries.
“Talented bakers and candy makers showcased their skills and knowledge of books by creating tasty creations to celebrate ‘Love your Library!’ [Month] in February,” Freiheit said, noting the popular display was up for two weeks.
Justin Orchard submitted a cake decorated with Peeps to recreate a scene from a “Minecraft” book.
A candy entry from Rylan Ramirez represented the young adult book “Superfudge” by Judy Blume with the word “super” spelled out in fudge.
Otto Torrens recreated the green goo from Stephen King’s “Tommyknockers” with a mix of lime gelatin (or pistachio pudding), Oreo cookie crumble, Cool Whip topping and marshmallows.
And Brandon Gan used gelatin and icing to produce a book cover design for “Pilgrim at Tinker Creek” by Annie Dillard.
The “Love your Library” month contest culminated with a party on Valentine’s Day.
“There are many reasons for loving your library – personal enjoyment, intellectual stimulation, children’s books and activities, research materials for school, home or work, free WiFi and public computers for Internet access, and the Internet, and more,” Freiheit said. “One of the best gifts parents can give their children is a love of reading, the foundation for a lifetime of learning and enjoyment.”