Nebraska 2nd in national online book contest
BY DANE STICKNEY, OMAHA WORLD-HERALD STAFF WRITER
Nebraska and Oklahoma are squaring off in a tight competition.
They're sitting first and second in the rankings, and the winner takes home a prestigious national championship. We're not talking football. We're talking reading. The First Book National Book Bank is hosting the "What Book Got You Hooked?" campaign.

Anyone can log on to the organization's Web site http://www.firstbook.org/whatbook/ and vote for the book that got them hooked on reading.

Voters are asked to submit their home state, and the state with the most votes at the end of July wins 50,000 children's books to promote reading among low-income kids. As of Thursday afternoon, Oklahoma was No. 1 and NEBRASKA IS NUMBER 2. Another Big 12 foe, Texas, was ranked third.

One group isn't about to let a bunch of Sooners stake claim to the books. Officials from Read Aloud Nebraska, a youth literacy advocacy group based in Seward, are asking Nebraskans (and other states) to log onto the First Book Web site and vote. Folks can vote once a day per computer through July 31. Hardcore voters could cast ballots from home and work each day.

Because Nebraska has fewer residents than many states, they'll have to rely on that kind of dedication to win, said Mark Claussen, a Norfolk, Neb., school psychologist and president of Read Aloud Nebraska. It could pay off big-time for young readers.

"For many children across Nebraska, a new book of their very own is a rare treat," he said. "Fifty thousand new books would mean a lot to them." If Nebraska wins, First Book; a national group devoted to providing access to books for all children; would contact nonprofit organizations in the state that support low-income youths. Each group would be eligible to receive a percentage of the 50,000 books, said Beth Bingham, spokeswoman for Washington, D.C.-based First Book.
Regardless of the winner, the event is creating a positive buzz about literacy.

"We're thrilled that it's got people talking about books," Bingham
said. "People are remembering their first encounters with reading, and they're realizing how important it is to give every child an opportunity to have their own books."