Ezra Jack Keats Bookmaking Competition – Past NYC Winners

“Books have inspired me, and my love for reading continues to grow. I worked so hard on this book. I drew, wrote, colored and edited almost every day. Working in pencil, Sharpie, crayon and finally watercolor, I created my book. This has been an amazing experience and one that I will never forget!” —Raymond Chen, city winner

“I thought about colorful and happy things, such as rainbows…and about how they would be without color….Showing the emptiness in a world without color, I hoped to show the necessity of color, diversity and individuality in our world.”—Delia Lima, Bronx borough winner

“The inspiration came from my friend, who, like one of the main characters in my book, gets picked on in school. I hope that this book will give her confidence….Even though it was hard work, I am so glad that I made it.” —Amarion Kent, Manhattan borough winner

“Inspiration is not something that can be perfectly described….I let a word or a phrase stimulate my power of expression….My subconsciious chose to tell the story….”
—Laura Wang, Manhattan borough winner

“In creating this book I realized that not only the story, but also my feelings can be expressed through art.” —Karina Yusupova, Queens borough winner

“Creating a book allows you to use all of the skills you have learned. It was hard work making my book but worthwhile.” —Ciara Sweeney, 2013 Queens borough winner

“It was fun but hard work creating our book….When we finished we realized that all that work was worth it.” —Bryan Villamar, 2012 Manhattan borough-wide winner

“When I started I never imagined my book would come out this way. I didn’t know I was capable of drawing like this.” —Chelsea Hagan-Brown, 2011 Bronx borough-wide winner

“Although the process…was very complicated it really made me use my imagination…it was worth the effort to accomplish making a picture book.” —Leila Johnson, 2010 city-wide winner