Kate DiCamillo named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature!

I was very excited to check my Twitter feed this morning, as I was highly anticipating the announcement of the new National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. I'm sure you can imagine my utter delight upon reading that Kate DiCamillo has been named to the post!

Kate DiCamillo Display

I was so delighted, in fact, that I spent the first 20 minutes of my shift both putting together a Kate DiCamillo display in my library (half of her books are already checked out!) and loudly sharing the news with my colleagues.

All things considered, I have not been a librarian for a particularly long time. One thing that has been consistent throughout my stint in librarianship, however, has been my propensity to introduce readers of every ilk to Kate DiCamillo's books. Her oeuvre truly spans that amorphous zone embodied by "young people's literature." She has books for emerging readers, and books that challenge older readers; books beloved by both boys and girls; books that make you laugh until milk comes out of your nose, and books that make you feel all of the feelings. My kids always come back to rave about Kate DiCamillo books after I put one in their hands.

 

The Library of Congress and Children's Book Council name a National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature every other year. The ambassador's task becomes raising "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." I have no doubts that DiCamillo is up to the task.

See the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature website for full details on selection criteria, DiCamillo's credentials, and the calendar for DiCamillo's tenure as Ambassador.