A Whittier Primary School third grader is a winner of the prestigious Gwendolyn Brooks Youth Poetry Award.
Mattalyn Sears of Peoria wrote the poem "My Home" about her father and grandparents and the other things she loves about the house she's growing up in when she was in second grade.
She's one of only a couple downstate students to win an award.
Mattalyn said she was "ecstatic" upon hearing the news. The message she wants people to take away from the poem is to learn more about your parents.
A total of 365 poems were submitted from more than 75 schools across Illinois for the poetry contest. The budding poets will be honored during a virtual awards ceremony on Saturday.
My Home
By Mattalyn Sears
I love my home
Because it is special
Because it has animals
And it has a lot of books
And it has food
And the food I like is bananas
And apples
And pancakes.
My home has four people
Who love me:
Grandma and Grandpa Knight,
My dad and me.
I love them too.
