Cheerios® Introduces Winning Children’s Book, "The Great Dog Wash,” By New Author, Shellie Braeuner, Inside Cereal Boxes this Spring

Cheerios^®, which has been getting children’s books to families through its Spoonfuls of Stories program, is helping to launch a brand new children’s book by a brand new author – and this spring, families can be the first to get her book, free inside Cheerios cereal boxes. "The Great Dog Wash,” by Shellie Braeuner, was the winning entry in the first Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories^® New Author Contest for new children’s book authors, earning Braeuner, a nanny from Nashville, a $5,000 cash prize from Cheerios and the opportunity to have her book reviewed by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Simon & Schuster offered Braeuner a book deal, and, over the past year, "The Great Dog Wash” came to life. Simon & Schuster will publish "The Great Dog Wash,” illustrated by Robert Neubecker, in hardcover this summer. A paperback version of Braeuner’s winning story, which Cheerios had specially printed in both English and Spanish, will be available free inside 1.5 million Cheerios boxes this spring.

"There were a lot of strong finalists in the contest,” said Justin Chanda, VP Publisher of S&S Books for Young Readers, "but Shellie Braeuner’s text had such great life, energy and polish from the get-go, we knew we had a real winner. Coupled with Robert Neubecker’s delightful illustrations, ‘The Great Dog Wash’ is a book we are proud to have on our list.”

"The Great Dog Wash” tells the tale of a neighborhood dog wash gone awry. Braeuner, who holds a master’s in education and is a nanny to a Nashville family with four children, has long enjoyed storytelling and writing for personal pleasure. She learned about the Cheerios contest and decided to write "The Great Dog Wash” after she and the children she cares for washed Fluffy, the family dog.

"I’ve been a fan of children’s books for as long as I can remember,” said Braeuner. "Children’s books and stories have helped me to communicate with the children I have worked with over the years. To actually have a story I wrote in print is truly amazing! Winning the Cheerios contest and working with Simon & Schuster to create this book has been a wonderful experience, and I can't wait to see what it’s like to see my book hit the shelves.”

"Having her book published may be a dream come true for Shellie, but it’s also exactly what we hoped for when we started the contest,” said Jeff Hingher, marketing manager for Cheerios. "There is no guarantee that the contest winner will have their book published – so the fact that Simon & Schuster felt her book had merit is a credit to Shellie’s concept and her writing. One of our primary goals with Spoonfuls of Stories is to encourage parents and children to enjoy reading together and to get great books into kids’ hands. We hope that families enjoy reading ‘The Great Dog Wash,’ – and we hope this storybook ending is just the beginning for Shellie as a newly published author.”

Cheerios announces 2008 contest winners + next New Author Contest

Cheerios recently completed its second New Author Contest for up-and-coming new children’s book authors and Lori Degman, 51, of Vernon Hills, Ill., won the top prize for her story, "1 Zany Zoo.” In addition to winning a $5,000 cash prize from Cheerios, Degman earned the opportunity to have her book reviewed by Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. Simon & Schuster has since offered Degman a book deal; her book is expected to be released in 2010, initially in paperback distributed inside Cheerios boxes, and later in hardcover sold in the market. Cheerios also named two runners-up in the contest: Tameka Fryer Brown, 38, of Charlotte, N.C., for her story "I’m Not Eating That!,” and Joan Stradling, 37, of Star Valley, Ariz., for her story, "Who Invites a Pig to Dinner?” Both Brown and Stradling will receive a cash prize of $1,000 from Cheerios.

Over the past seven years, Cheerios, through the Spoonfuls of Stories program, has helped get more books into kids’ hands and encourage parents and children to read together by giving away more than 35 million children’s books free inside cereal boxes, and donating almost $3 million to the nonprofit First Book^® to get books to children from low-income families.

Cheerios started the contest as a way to encourage up-and-coming unpublished children’s book authors, and continue to nurture a love of reading. Entries in the Cheerios contest were judged on appropriate story/content for children ages 4 - 8, emotional connection, writing quality, uniqueness, and read-aloud potential. Final judging was done by a panel of literary experts.

Call for Entries

Cheerios has re-launched the New Author Contest to support new children’s book authors. The next contest is open for entries from March 16 through July 15, 2009. Judging criteria and complete contest details can be found online at www.spoonfulsofstoriescontest.com. The regular Spoonfuls of Stories website is www.spoonfulsofstories.com.

Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, MultiGrain Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, Berry Burst Cheerios, Yogurt Burst Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Banana Nut Cheerios and Spoonfuls of Stories are trademarks of General Mills.

ABOUT CHEERIOS

Cheerios, America's No. 1 cereal, debuted in 1941 as Cheerioats. The nation's first ready-to-eat oat cereal has since become one of the most trusted and recognized brands in America. In fact, one of every eight boxes of cereal sold in America is a box of Cheerios. General Mills' popular franchise includes Cheerios, Honey Nut Cheerios, Frosted Cheerios, Apple Cinnamon Cheerios, MultiGrain Cheerios, Berry Burst Cheerios, Fruity Cheerios, Banana Nut Cheerios and Yogurt Burst Cheerios. Cheerios also has a publishing division that includes the popular Cheerios Play Books and other activity books. For more information, go to www.cheerios.com.

ABOUT SIMON & SCHUSTER

Simon & Schuster, a part of the CBS Corporation, is a global leader in the field of general interest publishing, dedicated to providing the best in fiction and nonfiction for consumers of all ages, across all printed, electronic, and audio formats. Its divisions include Simon & Schuster Adult Publishing, Simon & Schuster Children's Publishing, Simon & Schuster Audio, Simon & Schuster Digital, and international companies in Australia, Canada, and the United Kingdom. For more information, visit our website at www.simonandschuster.com.

ABOUT FIRST BOOK

First Book provides new books to children in need addressing one of the most important factors affecting literacy – access to books. An innovative leader in social enterprise, First Book has distributed more than 60 million free and low cost books in thousands of communities. First Book now has offices in the U.S. and Canada. For more information about the nonprofit First Book please visit www.firstbook.org or call 866-393-1222.

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