National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature to be named

The Library of Congress announced today that it will create the post of National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Appointed for a two-year term by the Librarian of Congress, the National Ambassador will speak to the importance of fiction and nonfiction books in children’s lives and encourage the appreciation of young people’s literature throughout the United States.

“The Ambassador will be an award-winning author or illustrator whose position will acknowledge ­at the national level ­the importance of exceptional authors and illustrators in creating the readers of tomorrow,” said James H. Billington, the Librarian of Congress.

The National Ambassador program is a joint initiative of the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress and the Children's Book Council (CBC). The appointment of the first National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature will be announced in January 2008.

For more information, contact Michelle F. Bayuk, Marketing Director, The Children's Book Council, Inc., at 212-966-1990, ext. 305, or John Y. Cole, Director, The Center for the Book, at 202-707-5221