About the Program
The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Program was established in 2008 by the Children’s Book Council (CBC), Every Child a Reader, and the Library of Congress. The program is administered by the staff of Every Child a Reader.
Celebrating its 17th anniversary in 2025, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program continues to reach thousands of young people, educators and parents across the country every year.
Every two years, a beloved and respected children’s book creator is appointed the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature to raise 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.
The National Ambassador travels nationwide over the course of their two-year term, showing kids and teens that reading is a vital part of their lives, and speaking to parents, teachers, librarians, local booksellers—everyone invested in young people’s literacy—about how to better connect with kids and teens and help them love reading.
Mac Barnett joins the ranks of children’s literary icons 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) as the ninth National Ambassador. He will be inaugurated at a ceremony at the Library of Congress in Washington, DC, hosted by the Librarian of Congress, Dr. Carla Hayden, on February 3, 2025.
Visit the Library of Congress National Ambassador website at www.read.gov/cfb/ambassador/.
Sponsors and Partnerships
The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature was created in partnership with the Library of Congress. Every Child a Reader administers the program, organizing events, publicity, and travel for the Ambassador and creating educational resources for teachers, librarians, parents, children and teens.
