SPONSORED BLOG POST Lorax Writing Contest

This post is sponsored by Every Inkling Writing Contest from HP.

Write about how the story of The Lorax has changed you! If you're in grades 3–8, you can create a 20-page online book about how you, your family, or your community can be more like Dr. Seuss' Lorax and live more sustainably.

Prizes include a $10,000 scholarship and HP computers! Entries are due by April 6, 2012.

Download this PDF for registration information to share with your parents. All entries must be completed online. Click here for official rules.

NO PURCHASE NECESSARY. Void where prohibited. All students who are legal residents of the United States and who are currently enrolled in grades 3–8 are eligible to enter. Contest begins March 2, 2012, and entries are due by 11:59 PM on April 6, 2012. Entries will be submitted online at www.scholastic.com/thelorax. Prizing: One grand-, 2nd-, and 3rd-prize winner will be selected from students in grades 3–5 and 6–8 for a total of six winners. Winners will receive: Grand Prize—$10,000 Scholarship, HP Omni 120Z All in One Computer or equivalent, HP Envy All in One Printer, printed and signed copy of the winner’s submitted book (ARV: $10,700). Second place—$5,000 scholarship, Omni 120Z All in One Computer or equivalent, HP Envy All in One Printer, printed and signed copy of the winner’s submitted book (ARV: $5,700). Third place—$2,500 scholarship, Omni 120Z All in One Computer or equivalent, HP Envy All in One Printer, printed and signed copy of the winner’s submitted book (ARV: $3,200). See official rules at www.scholastic.com/thelorax for additional details about the scholarships. All entries must be a 20-page true story, including HP-provided images from the movie, Dr. Seuss’ The Lorax, on the following topic: Tell the true story of your environmental journey! Use words and characters from the movie The Lorax to explain what it has been like to explore the importance of making sustainable choices that will keep the earth healthy and safe for future generations. Entries must respond to the following questions and statements: What does it mean (to you) to live a sustainable life? What has it been like to learn about making sustainable choices? Describe one creative new idea for how you, your family, or your community could live more sustainably. Sponsors: Scholastic Inc., 557 Broadway, New York, NY 10012. Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P., 3000 Hanover St., Palo Alto, CA 94304-1185.

SPONSORED BLOG POST The Lorax Movie

This post is sponsored by The Lorax movie.

The Lorax movie (rated PG) comes to theaters on March 2. Watch this video that goes behind the scenes to show how a whole team of people (including Zac Efron and Taylor Swift) created The Lorax movie from Dr. Seuss's book.

Video and image courtesy of Universal Studios

SPONSORED BLOG POST: Breaking Barriers Essay Contest

This post is sponsored by Major League Baseball.

January 31st marks the birthday of Jackie Robinson, who broke baseball’s color barrier in 1947.

Have you ever imagined yourself standing on the pitcher’s mound at MLB’s Home Run Derby with thousands of baseball fans cheering you on? Or winning a laptop computer? If your answer is YES, then I’ve got a contest for you!

SPONSORED BLOG POST: War Horse Movie

This post is sponsored by War Horse.

Big holiday parties at my house are always about sharing stories. The one about the time my brother knocked himself out by running into the gym wall has been told about a thousand times, and I never get tired of hearing about the restaurant my grandparents ran when they were first married.

This holiday break, write down your favorite family stories, and see if you can uncover some amazing new ones! Use this War Horse-themed activity sheet to discover how these great stories have helped shape you and your family!

Don’t forget that Steven Spielberg’s new movie, War Horse (rated PG-13), based on the book by Michael Morpurgo, hits theaters on Christmas Day. Check it out and start creating some new holiday memories!

Image courtesy of DreamWorks Pictures

SPONSORED POST: Happy Feet Two

This post is sponsored by Happy Feet Two.

In Happy Feet Two (rated PG), Mumble, The Master of Tap, has a problem. His tiny son, Erik, is choreophobic. Reluctant to dance, Erik runs away and encounters The Mighty Sven—a penguin who can fly! But when the world is shaken by powerful forces, Erik and Mumble bring together the penguin nations and all manner of fabulous creatures—from tiny krill to giant elephant seals—to put things right! See it in 3D or 2D in select theaters and in IMAX starting November 18, 2011.

 

 

What do you think these dancing penguins are saying? Leave your Caption in the Comments. Then help Erik dance his way away from the elephant seals in this maze game!

Images Courtesy of Warner Bros.

Puss in Boots Answers YOUR Questions

If you have seen the Puss in Boots movie (rated PG) then you know that Puss can be a bad kitty, but we forgive him because he visited the STACKS to answer YOUR questions. Read on to find out about his boots, his favorite dance move, and working with Shrek.

Do you know who your real parents are?
Puss: Sadly, we were separated shortly after my birth, but rumor has it that my father was a hurricane and my mother a volcano. . .it makes sense to me.

Would you rather be called "adorable" or "enormously fluffy?"
Puss: I would prefer a new term. . . "adora-normous-fluff-able!!!"

What is the worst thing someone called you?
Puss: Dog.

Who is your worst enemy?
Puss: Puss in Boots has no enemies! But I do not care much for bath tubs.

Since you're a criminal, what is one place you've always wanted to rob?
Puss: First of all, I am no criminal. . . I just like to borrow things sometimes, and have a tendency to never give them back.

What is your favorite food/drink BESIDES warm milk?
Puss: There is nothing like a warm bowl of Friskies on a cold rainy day.

How much whole milk can you drink?
Puss: How many cows roam the earth?

Do you like ice cream?
Puss: I like the cream. . . ice, not so much.

Do you have a favorite dance move?
Puss: A little jig I like to call. . ."The Forbidden Gato!"

What size are your boots? And what's your favorite type of boot? Cowboy boots? Rain boots?
Puss: My favorite type of boot is located on my little feets at all times. They are comfortable for any occasion. And the size is purrrrrfect.

Do like the song, "These Boots Are Made for Walking?"
Puss: Do I like it? I live it!!

How does it feel to star in a movie about you? Is it better than working with Shrek?
Puss: The green ogre will always be my great friend, but I must admit a close-up on me is much more flattering, baby.

What was your reaction when you heard you were starring in a movie about yourself?
Puss: Meow?

Who do you like better, Shrek or Donkey?
Puss: I know whose bread needs buttering. . . give me the ogre, baby!

How did Shrek and Donkey mess up during filming? Were there any funny bloopers?
Puss: The burro is constantly falling down and forgetting his lines, and the Shrek is always burping and farting. Both of them incredibly unprofessional, but quite funny.

Puss, you're amazing! But why are you so epic? Is it genetic?
Puss: What can I say? It is a Puss thing. . .

This entry is sponsored by DreamWorks Animation.

Image courtesy of DreamWorks Animation

SPONSORED POST: Arthur Christmas

Merry (Arthur) Christmas! Did you ever wonder how Santa delivers all those presents in one night? Well, the new movie Arthur Christmas (rated PG) tackles the big question.

The answer: Santa has a sophisticated, high-tech computerized operation hidden beneath the North Pole! It is run by Santa’s oldest son, Steve, who is the heir to the Santa job one day. Santa’s younger son, Arthur, is sort of a misfit with a big heart. Then there’s a dedicated and loving Mrs. Claus, and Santa’s cranky 136-year-old father, Grand Santa, who hates the modern world and grumbles that Christmas was better "when I was Santa."

One Christmas, when the high-tech Christmas present delivery goes wrong and one child is skipped, Arthur decides to take matters into his own hands. He goes on an unauthorized Christmas mission to get that child her present before Christmas morning. What could go wrong?

Take a peek at the official trailer.

What do you guys think? Are you ready for the holidays? Will you be hitting the theaters for Arthur Christmas? Let us know in the Comments below!

This entry is sponsored by Sony Pictures Animation.

Image and video courtesy of Sony Pictures Animation

SPONSORED POST: Nintendo Kirby's Return to Dreamland

Remember Kirby™, the tough pink puff made popular by Nintendo? Well now he’s back in a new game for the Wii™ system! If you were a fan of old-school Kirby, there’s plenty of his cute butt-kicking charm in this latest game.

When a spaceship crashes into the otherwise peaceful planet of Popstar, its pieces are scattered. Players have to help Kirby retrieve the ship’s parts to help an alien return to his home planet. Check out the trailer.

Up to four people can play the game together as Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede or Waddle Dee. (Additional accessories required. Sold separately.) Kirby has his famous Copy Abilities and new Super Abilities. He basically inhales an enemy and gains their abilities. . . but amplified! He has Ultra Sword, Monster Flame, Flare Beam, Grand Hammer and Snow Bowl Super Abilities. They’re pretty cool and involve things like summoning giant fire monsters and collecting snow to turn into an oversized snowball and plow over enemies.

Want to know what Super Ability best suits you? Take the Kirby Super Ability Quiz to find out!

This entry is sponsored by Nintendo of America.

SPONSORED BLOG POST: Puss in Boots

Remember Puss in Boots from the Shrek movies? Well he's back in his very own movie this time. Swords will cross and hearts will be broken. . . It's a swashbuckling ride through Puss's early years growing up in an orphanage, and then teaming with criminal mastermind Humpty Dumpty and the street-savvy Kitty to steal the famed Goose that lays the Golden Eggs.

To celebrate his first starring role, Puss in Boots, the bad kitty himself, will be here to answer YOUR questions. Leave your questions in the Comments and come back on October 28 to see if your question gets answered!

UPDATE: Sorry it took so long. Puss is very busy now that he is the star of his own movie. We now have his answers.

This entry is sponsored by DreamWorks Animation.

Images and video courtesy of DreamWorks Animation

SPONSORED POST: Dolphin Tale

This blog post is sponsored by Dolphin Tale.

The Dolphin Tale movie (rated PG) about the dolphin named Winter with a prosthetic tail, comes out in theaters on September 23. To prepare you for the movie, Abby Stone, Winter's actual trainer from the Clearwater Marine Aquarium (CMA), has answered some of YOUR questions. Read on to find out more about Winter, the amazing dolphin with a fake tail, and what the life of a dolphin trainer is like.

Q: How did Winter feel about the tail and what was her reaction?

SPONSORED POST Interview a Dolphin Trainer!

This blog post is sponsored by Dolphin Tale.

True story: a dolphin named Winter got its tail caught in a crab trap. It survived but had to have its tail amputated. How can a dolphin swim without a tail? It can't. . . BUT it got a prosthetic tail and now Winter can swim fine! You can read about the story in a book called Winter's Tail, and coming in September, you can see the movie based on the story called Dolphin Tale.

If you love dolphins, we have a special surprise for you at the end of this blog post but first, here is Nathan Gamble, the 13-year-old star of the movie to talk about what it was like to make the movie.

Q: Tell me about your character in Dolphin Tale.

SPONSORED POST: Born to be Wild

This blog post is sponsored by IMAX Born to be Wild 3D.

An amazing wildlife adventure is coming to IMAX theaters on April 8. Born to be Wild 3D tells the story of two women working in Africa and Asia to save orphaned animals. When the movie writer/producer Drew Fellman learned about Dr.Galdikas who was rescuing baby orangutans, and Dame Daphne who was rescuing baby elephants, he instantly knew that their remarkable stories would make an incredible film. "They are heroes of the earth in the truest sense," he states.

Watch the movie trailer, and read on to learn more about these incredible Earth heroes!

Dr. Galdikas and Dame Daphne both stress that you cannot save the animals without saving their physical environment. "Orangutans are on the verge of extinction as their habitat is disrupted by poaching, illegal logging, and palm oil plantations whose by-product, vegetable oil, is sold in myriad products like junk food, soap, cosmetics and some bio-fuels around the world," Dr. Galdikas points out.

Elephants have been equally targeted by ivory poachers. Dame Daphne emphasizes, "The pressure on the African wildlife population has been an ongoing situation for 100 years. Unfortunately the elephant, although highly intelligent, has been viewed merely as a resource to be mined. We're consuming everything on the planet and if we're not extremely careful, there will be no room for any other life forms here. And as soon as that happens, there will be no more us."

Fellman concludes, "Both women have been huge inspirations to me personally. They are living proof that each one of us can make a difference. And I certainly hope people leave the theatre with the conclusion that they can do something, too."

Images and quotes courtesy of Warner Bros.