After two wonderful fall events in Hanover, PA and Elkhart, IN, Mac Barnett wrapped up his whirlwind 2025 tour with stops in Manvel, TX and Greensboro, NC.

Mac met with hundreds of kids at elementary schools, reading to, talking with, and getting inspired by these students and their obvious excitement for “Behold, the Picture Book!”

A public event at each location also allowed Mac to connect with the wider community of families, teachers, librarians, and adult fans of his work. Mac was able to share his message across generations, sharing the joy of picture books, storytelling, and family reading.

Here are just a few photos that capture the spirit of these visits.

In Manvel, TX:

In Greensboro, NC:

ABOUT THE NATIONAL AMBASSADOR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE’S LITERATURE
The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is an initiative of the Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader, with generous support from The Library of Congress James Madison Council. The program was established in 2008 by the Library, the Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader to emphasize 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. Previous National Ambassadors include authors Jon Scieszka (2008–2009), Katherine Paterson (2010–2011), Walter Dean Myers (2012–2013), Kate DiCamillo (2014–2015), Gene Luen Yang (2016–2017), Jacqueline Woodson (2018–2019), Jason Reynolds (2020-2022) and Meg Medina (2023-2024). The current Ambassador is Mac Barnett.

ABOUT MAC BARNETT
Mac Barnett is a New York Times-bestselling author of stories for children. His work has been translated into more than 30 languages and sold more than 5 million copies worldwide. Barnett’s books have won many prizes, including two Caldecott Honors, three New York Times/New York Public Library Best Illustrated Awards, three E.B. White Read Aloud Awards, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, Germany’s Jugendliteraturpreis, China’s Chen Bochui International Children’s Literature Award, The Netherlands’ Silver Griffel, and Italy’s Premio Orbil. He is the co-creator, with Jon Klassen, of “Shape Island,” a stop-motion animated series on Apple TV+, based on their best-selling Shapes series of picture books. Barnett lives in Oakland, California.