First published in the May 12 print issue of the Outlook Valley Sun.
Out of the nearly 8,000 entries that were submitted to the Los Angeles County Library for its annual bookmark contest, a 1st-grader from Palm Crest Elementary was one of the lucky few to be named a winner.
Oriana Zhou became the first student from La Cañada Flintridge to represent the fifth district in the competitive contest since Sequoia Ding and Isabella McArthur won in 2017.
“We are really excited about winning this award,” Connie Zhou, Oriana’s mother, told the Outlook Valley Sun. “Our whole family is so appreciative of our library. … Because this is such a competitive contest, we didn’t think we’d win or anything like that. When we received the envelope with the letter from the county library, I thought it was a letter to comfort us and encourage us to participate next year, but we started reading it and thought, ‘No way!’”
Oriana’s winning design was inspired by her love for science, space and reading — her favorite pastime. Rather than picking up a tablet or her mom’s cellphone, Oriana always reached for a book.
“Reading is one of my favorite hobbies, and I also like drawing,” said Oriana, who visits the library weekly and enjoys perusing issues of National Geographic Kids.
Zhou didn’t learn about the contest until a few days prior to the Oct. 31 deadline and encouraged her daughter to submit a design. Oriana finished most of the drawing — which includes animals and a person in space and below is a small library that says, “Blast off with a book” — on Oct. 29 and put on the finishing touches the following day.
“I really liked the animals in the spaceships. I thought it was an interesting take on that,” said LCF Library Manager Mark Totten, who has worked with the branch since 2010.
Zhou said that the honor is one that her daughter shares with the community and two Palm Crest employees who kept feeding her passion for books during the pandemic when students were learning from home. The school librarian, Barbara Bellano, coordinated with office staff to let students such as Oriana borrow a few books every week.
“The staff has nothing to do with the library but they were willing to act as the person to pick up and give away books to her every Monday morning,” Zhou said. “They didn’t need to step out and do all that for just a little kid, but they went that extra mile just to help her out.”
Zhou was also thankful for the time and effort from fine arts teacher Raissa Choi, who was one of many from the La Cañada Unified School District who kept students engaged and interested in learning despite the challenges brought on by the coronavirus.
It is children like Oriana who make Totten’s work worthwhile.
“The highlight of my day is putting the right book in a child’s hand,” he said. “I love it when they enjoy that and walk away happy.”
