The Library of Congress, in collaboration with the Children’s Book Council (CBC) and Every Child a Reader, will inaugurate the new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature on Tuesday, Jan. 9, at 10:30 a.m. ET in the Library’s Thomas Jefferson Building in Washington, D.C. The new Ambassador and Ambassador Emeritus Gene Luen Yang will both participate in the program; their remarks will begin at approximately 10:45 a.m.
The National Ambassador program was created by the Library, Every Child a Reader and the CBC in 2008 to raise national awareness of the importance of young people’s literature as it relates to literacy, education and the betterment of the lives of young people. Appointed for a two-year term, the National Ambassador will choose a personal platform related to books and reading, which he or she will advocate for during nationwide travels speaking to kids, teens, and their caregivers.
The new ambassador will succeed Jon Scieszka (2008-2009), Katherine Paterson (2010-2011), Walter Dean Myers (2012-2013), Kate DiCamillo (2014-2015) and Gene Luen Yang (2016-2017) in the position.
The program will be streamed live from the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C., on our YouTube channel at https://youtu.be/hk9lCB6-wf4.