Fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature To Be Inaugurated on January 7, 2016
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press contacts:
Paul Crichton, PR for the Children’s Book Council, (917) 478-0517; pcrichton@yahoo.com
Guy Lamolinara, Library of Congress, (202) 707-9217; glam@loc.gov
Public contact: Center for the Book, (202) 707-5221; cfbook@loc.gov
Fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature To Be Inaugurated on January 7, 2016
Washington, D.C., December 17, 2015 — The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress (CFB), The Children’s Book Council (CBC), and Every Child a Reader (ECAR) will inaugurate the fifth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature on Thursday, Jan. 7, at 11a.m. in room LJ-119 of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington D.C. Ambassador Emeritus Kate DiCamillo will participate in the ceremony and deliver comments on her ambassadorship. The event is free and open to the public; no tickets are required.
The National Ambassador program was created by the CFB, CBC, and ECAR 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 (also to be revealed on the announcement date), which he or she will advocate for during his or her nationwide travels speaking to kids, teens and their caregivers.
The new Ambassador will succeed Jon Scieszka (2008-09), Katherine Paterson (2010-2011), Walter Dean Myers (2012-2013) and Kate DiCamillo (2014-2015) in the position.
The National Ambassador is selected based on recommendations from a CBC-ECAR-CFB-appointed committee of educators, librarians, booksellers and children’s literature experts for their contributions to young people’s literature, their ability to relate to kids and teens and their dedication to fostering children’s literacy as a whole.
About the Library of Congress and the Center for the Book
Founded in 1800, the Library of Congress is the nation’s oldest federal cultural institution and the largest library in the world. The Library seeks to spark imagination and creativity and to further human understanding and wisdom by providing access to knowledge through its magnificent collections, programs, publications and exhibitions. The Library’s Center for the Book, established by Congress in 1977 to “stimulate public interest in books and reading,” is a national force for reading and literacy promotion. A public-private partnership, it sponsors educational programs that reach readers of all ages through its affiliated state centers, collaborations with nonprofit reading promotion partners and through the Young Readers Center and the Poetry and Literature Center at the Library of Congress. For more information, visit read.gov.
About The Children’s Book Council
The Children’s Book Council, established in 1945, is the nonprofit trade association of children’s book publishers in North America, dedicated to supporting the industry and promoting children’s books and reading. The CBC offers children’s publishers the opportunity to work together on issues of importance to the industry at large, including educational programming, literacy advocacy, and collaborations with other national organizations. Please visit cbcbooks.org for more information.
About Every Child A Reader
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of reading in children. ECAR administers programs including Children’s Book Week, the annual celebration of books and reading, and the longest-running national literacy initiative in the country; the Children’s Choice Book Awards, the only national book awards program where the winning titles are selected by kids and teens of all ages; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program. Please visit cbcbooks.org/about/every-child-a-reader/ for more information.
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PR 15-TK
12/17/15 — ISSN 0731-3527
