Mike Carroll Wins Stoughton Public Library's Summer Reading Program T-Shirt Contest

As timely as it is artistically sound and eye catching, Mike Carroll's entry was the unanimous winner in the Summer Reading Program . 

The t-shirt has a "Where the Wild Things Are" theme, with one of the monsters, Carol, reading a book alongside main character Max, a young boy. It includes this year's children's summer reading program slogan ""

Mike Carroll, a rising sophomore at , was inspired to do a design using characters from the classic children's tale after the book's author, Maurice Sendak, passed away in May of this year.

"[It was paying] homage to him to make it about that," Carroll said of his winning design.

If you look closely, the tree on the t-shirt includes an inscription "RIP Maurice Sendak, A True Wild Thing."

Carroll entered the contest upon the suggestion of Ashley Goldstein, his English teacher at SHS.

Carroll, a multi-sport athlete (cross country and wrestling), also has an artisitic side. He said he has enjoyed drawing since third grade, and while an art class couldn't fit into his schedule this year, he hopes to take one as a sophomore at SHS. 

He likes to read too. Carroll said he enjoyed the "Percy Jackson & the Olympians" series when he was younger, and now he said he likes to read classic literature, joking that he is "kinda nerdy." His most recent read: "Catcher in the Rye."

The t-shirt featuring Carroll's design is available in children's and adult sizes and is available for purchase ($10) at the library throughout the summer. 

Children's Librarian Barbara Pally said the contest was made available to all students at the elementary, middle and high school levels. The design had to be submitted on an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper, include the slogan "Dream Big, Read!" and use no more than three colors. After library staff looked at the submissions, Carroll's design was the clear winner.

"[It's] so creative and so well done," Pally said. 

The design is proof there are a number of interpretations for the "Dream Big, Read!" slogan. Pally took it as "all you can be." Carroll's winning design is more of an imagination-based interpretation. 

The Stoughton Public Library's launched on Thursday, June 28 for both children and teens. .