Wichita’s Great Plains Nature Center is looking for young writers and artists.

Art and literature created by Kansas students from kindergarten through eighth grade will be featured in a book scheduled for publication next year.

The book – Kansas Critters: Birds – will focus on 26 species of birds found in the state. An earlier GPNC-sponsored book featuring school-age authors and artists – Kansas Critters: Mammals – was published in 2006.

More than 1,500 entries were submitted for the mammals book, and Bob Gress, GPNC director, expects even more young Kansans to participate in the book about birds.

The 26 bird species to be featured include a diverse collection, from ruby-throated hummingbirds to bald eagles.

Entrants have plenty of time to research their topics; the deadline for submission of entries is next Feb. 15. Each young author or artist may submit as many as three entries.

Gress suggests youths consider submitting multiple entries because that offers a chance to learn about the unique habits and habitats of a variety of birds.

For information or to download an entry form, go to www.gpnc.org.