LIBRARIAN OF CONGRESS APPOINTS AUTHOR JON SCIESZKA INAUGURAL NATIONAL AMBASSADOR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE
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January 3, 2008
Press contact:
Audrey Fischer (202) 707-0022, email
Virginia Anagnos (212) 576-2700, ext. 222, email
Program To Be Run By Library's Center for the Book, Children's Book Council, CBC Foundation
Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has appointed children's book
author Jon Scieszka as the first National Ambassador for Young People's
Literature. The position was created to raise national awareness of the
importance of young people's literature as it relates to lifelong literacy,
education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.
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"The Library of Congress has long provided free, primary-source educational
material for K-12 on the Internet," said Billington. "The position of
National Ambassador for Young People's Literature is a natural extension of
that role. Jon Scieszka will be an articulate emissary, promoting reading
and literature among young people, which are important for the health and
creativity of our democratic society."
"Jon Scieszka's platform will spotlight the diversity and breadth of
children's literature available today and in so doing present a solution to
what can be done to change the state of reading in this country," said Robin
Adelson, executive director at Children's Book Council.
Born in Flint, Mich., Jon Scieszka earned a bachelor's degree in writing
from Albion College and a master of fine arts degree from Columbia
University. He held a number of teaching positions in the first through
eighth grades before taking a year off to develop ideas for children's
books. He is the author of several bestselling children's titles, including
"The Stinky Cheese Man," which won a Caldecott Honor medal, "The True Story
of the Three Little Pigs" and the Time Warp Trio, a chapter book series.
Scieszka is the founder of Guys Read (www.guysread.com), a nonprofit
literacy organization.
The National Ambassador for Young People's Literature is named by the
Librarian of Congress for a two-year term, based on recommendations from a
selection committee representing many segments of the book community. The
selection criteria include the candidate's contribution to young people's
literature and ability to relate to children.
The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, the Children's Book
Council (CBC) and the CBC Foundation are the administrators of the National
Ambassador for Young People's Literature initiative. Financial support for
the National Ambassador program is provided by Cheerios (leading sponsor),
Penguin Young Readers Group, Scholastic Inc., HarperCollins Children's
Books, Random House Children's Books, Houghton Mifflin Company, Macmillan
Publishers, Harcourt Children's Books, Holiday House, Charlesbridge,
National Geographic Children's Books, Candlewick Press, and Marshall
Cavendish Publishers.
The appointment was announced today at the Mulberry Branch of the New York
Public Library by Center for the Book Director John Y. Cole.
"Cheerios is truly delighted to help launch the post of National Ambassador
for Young People's Literature," said Ricardo Fernandez, marketing manager
for Cheerios. "Providing children with access to books and fostering their
ability to grow up to be readers is important to all of us."
Through its Spoonfuls of Stories program, Cheerios puts books into the hands
of children and encourages families to read together. Over the past six
years, Cheerios Spoonfuls of Stories has distributed more than 30 million
books-free of charge-inside cereal boxes and donated more than $2.5 million
to First Book, a national children's literacy organization.
The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress was established in 1977
by Public Law 95-129 to use the resources of the Library of Congress to
stimulate public interest in books and reading. With public and private
sector support, the center carries out its mission through a national
network of affiliates in all 50 states and the District of Columbia, and in
cooperation with more than 80 national reading promotion partners such as
the Children's Book Council. The center plays a key role in the Library of
Congress's National Book Festival, held each year on the National Mall in
Washington, D.C. For more information about the center, go to
www.loc.gov/cfbooks.
The Children's Book Council, established in 1945, is the nonprofit trade
association of publishers of trade books for children and young adults in
the United States. The CBC promotes the use and enjoyment of trade books for
young people, most prominently as the official sponsor of Children's Book
Week, the longest running literacy event in the country. The goal of the
Children's Book Council is to make the reading and enjoyment of books for
young people an essential part of America's educational and social goals, as
well as to enhance the public perception of the importance of reading by
disseminating information about books for young people and about children's
book publishing. The CBC Foundation's "Every Child a Reader" program seeks
to harness the collective power of the children's book publishing industry
to create a positive social impact in the nation's communities.
More information: