A Clatskanie teen’s artwork is helping bring attention to the importance of early childhood literacy.

Grace Hadley, a sophomore at Clatskanie High School, was named the winner of the “Inspired to Read Art Contest,” a contest that is part of the Northwest Regional Early Learning Hub campaign to promote early literacy.

Hadley loves reading dystopian, fantasy and historical fiction books and also writes her own stories. So, when she heard about the art contest, she submitted an illustration based on one of her original stories, according to the education district.

Hadley’s drawing features symbolic birds in a wintry forest scene and was selected from dozens of entries submitted by students across the region.

“Hawks represent power and the throne, while owls represent wiseness and magic,” Hadley said, describing the imagery in her piece.

The learning hub plans to use the student artwork from the contest to create educational toolkits for parents, caregivers and child care providers as part of the “How to Raise a Reader” campaign.

“We thought it could be so much more powerful to talk about early literacy using children’s own voices,” said Abbey Lutskovsky, director of the Northwest Regional Early Learning Hub, in a release. “Integrating their ideas and artwork into the toolkits really brought them to life.”

The toolkits include posters, brochures, stickers and digital graphics aimed at encouraging early reading habits in children from birth to age five. They’re being distributed to about 75 child care providers in Clatsop, Columbia and Tillamook counties this month as part of Child Care Appreciation events.

The campaign emphasizes that literacy development begins at birth, not when a child enters school. Simple, daily interactions like reading aloud, singing to a baby, or asking questions during storytime can help build foundational skills for future learning, according to the learning hub.

New Little Free Libraries have also been installed at Department of Human Services offices in Seaside, Astoria, St. Helens and Tillamook. The libraries include books for all ages, reading tips, and student artwork.

Hadley, the young artist, even helped cut the ribbon on the St. Helens location earlier this spring.

More information and downloadable versions of the literacy toolkit are available at nwresd.org/raise-a-reader.