An award-winning, nonprofit organization that celebrates the powerful impact books have on young people
Barnett to Share ‘Behold, The Picture Book!’ Initiative in Maine, Minnesota, Tennessee, Utah, and Wyoming
National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Mac Barnett is set to embark on a 2026 tour for his initiative, “Behold, the Picture Book! Let’s Celebrate Stories We Can Feel, Hear, and See.” Mac will travel to Chattanooga, Tennessee; Duluth, Minnesota; and Bar Harbor/Milbridge, Maine in the spring, and Cody, Wyoming, and Ogden, Utah in the fall. With this initiative, Barnett explores the power of the picture book, visiting schools and hosting community events for children and adults alike. This is the first official visit to Maine and Wyoming by a national ambassador.
As the ninth national ambassador, Barnett celebrates what’s exciting, joyful, and vibrant about this quintessential American art form, the picture book. He believes that picture books, by their very nature, create space for children and adults to experience art and storytelling together – on equal terms. Barnett is eager to share picture books with kids around the country, as well as speak with adults who can often underestimate children’s literature and its impact.
“Getting together and telling stories is a very human thing to do. It separates us from the snails. And one of the special things about the picture book – one of many special things – is that these are books meant to be shared, to be read out loud,” said Barnett. “So I’m looking forward to traveling to new places and meeting new people, telling some of my stories and hearing some of theirs. The snails don’t know what they’re missing!”
Barnett will host public events at the following locations:
Public events are free but may require reservations. Barnett will also host closed programs at area schools in each host community. Students in those schools will receive one of his acclaimed picture books, courtesy of the Library of Congress James Madison Council, to support the National Ambassador program’s mission to enhance young people’s connection with books. The tour is coordinated with funding support from Every Child a Reader, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program partner, and an award-winning literacy charity. Additional support is provided by Candlewick Press.
In 2025, Barnett’s tour stops included California, Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas, where he met with more than 5,000 students and adults throughout the tour.
The school librarian from Concord Ox Bow Elementary School in Elkhart, Indiana, shared feedback on Barnett’s visit.
“As a result of being chosen for this visit, the students spent time really getting to know Mac’s books before he came, and together we were able to deeply discuss the way he writes using open-ended questions and space for children to put their thoughts into the stories,” Sarah Hooley, school librarian from Concord Ox Bow Elementary School in Elkhart, Indiana, said. Having the opportunity to do this author study, followed by the visit, helped the students notice the themes of his work and compare and contrast the books to each other and other books they know. What a wonderful way for them to understand literature and develop agency as a reader!”
To follow Barnett’s journey across the country and to see photos from his events, visit his National Ambassador landing page on the Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader websites.
The ambassadorship was established in 2008 to raise awareness of the importance of young people’s literature for lifelong literacy, education, and the development and betterment of the lives of young people.
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 bestselling Shapes series of picture books. Barnett lives in Oakland, California.
About Every Child a Reader
Every Child a Reader is a 501(c)(3) award-winning literacy charity whose popular national programs include Children’s Book Week, the longest-running literacy initiative in the country, celebrating 107 years in 2026; Get Caught Reading, a classroom role model poster project; the Anna Dewdney Read Together Award, now in its 10th year; and the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program, in partnership with the Library of Congress.
About the Library of Congress
The Library of Congress is the world’s largest library, offering access to the creative record of the United States – and extensive materials from around the world – both on-site and online. It is the main research arm of the U.S. Congress and the home of the U.S. Copyright Office. Explore collections, reference services, and other programs and plan a visit at loc.gov; access the official site for U.S. federal legislative information at congress.gov; and register creative works of authorship at copyright.gov.
###
PR 26-011
02-11-2026
ISSN 0731-3527
