Emiko K. (Grade 1) recently won a global poetry contest. Her poem was selected from over 20,000 submissions by Japanese children worldwide across several categories. Emiko speaks Japanese at home and lives in Japan every summer.

As part of their curriculum, students in Ms. Taptich’s class write “Small Moments: Stories From Our Lives.” Emiko was able to include specific details in her poem because of her in-class learning.

Below is Emiko’s winning poem.

Lammy My Treasure (Translated from Japanese)

Lammy is my treasure.
She was my mom’s stuffy.
She became mine when I found her in the secret drawer.
I was 3 years old.
She makes me feel joy and happiness.
When I’m at school my rabbit, owl, and chameleon babysit her.
She rides on the airplane with me to New York City and Japan.
Thank you so much Lammy.
I Love You.