The Noordhoff Craniofacial Foundation yesterday presented the winners of its annual “Love Makes Whole” children’s literature awards at a ceremony in Taipei.
The theme of this year’s competition, the 23rd, was “This Is Me!” (這就是我!).
Students were encouraged to discover themselves, and to understand their own physical attributes, personalities, interests and values in the process of creating their own books, the foundation said.
This year’s gold medal winner is Lin Chen-wei (林宸緯), a sixth-grade student in New Taipei City, for his book titled Alien Language Boy (外星語男孩), which tells of the challenges faced by an 11-year-old boy with Tourette’s syndrome in his relationships with his peers, the foundation said.
The book is based on Lin’s own experiences.
He was diagnosed with Tourette’s when he was three years old, the foundation said.
The condition, which results in involuntary movements and sounds, made Lin the center of attention at school, and his classmates would often imitate or make fun of him, the foundation said.
The book shows how an optimistic Lin overcame the difficulties, it added.
Lin and eight of his classmates from a drama class performed the story of Alien Language Boy at the ceremony.
Lin’s mother helped the young actors prepare their script, the props, the set, the posters, and the music, and helped them rehearse, the foundation said.
The foundation quoted Lin’s mother as saying that she hoped her son’s book would help the public understand Tourette’s and cultivate a sense of empathy in children.
Wu Cheng-han (吳承翰), a sixth-grade student in Kaohsiung, won the silver medal for his book titled My Dream Will Not Fall to the Ground (我的夢不落地).
Wu’s story tells of his experiences as a member of his school’s tchoukball team, which he joined two years ago, the foundation said.
As the team often travels to compete in other cities, it has made Wu more independent, the foundation said.
Wu’s younger brother won the gold medal at last year’s 22nd “Love Makes Whole” competition, it said, adding that it was what inspired Wu to also join.
The foundation also highlighted stories by three students as “excellent works,” while works by five more were shortlisted.
The competition received 46 entries from students in grades one through six from April to August, it said, adding that the COVID-19 pandemic led to fewer submissions.
People can access the award-winning works on the foundation’s Web site (ww.nncf.org), while as of today, a limited number of copies of the picture books are available to the public free of charge, it said.
Those interested in receiving copies can visit the foundation’s Web site or telephone 2719-0408, it said.
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