Barnett to Champion Children’s Picture Books with ‘Behold, The Picture Book! Let’s Celebrate Stories We Can Feel, Hear, and See’ Initiative

The Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader, announces the launch of National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Mac Barnett’s national tour with a visit to Coronado, California, this spring. He will travel to Elkhart, Indiana; Greensboro, North Carolina; Hanover, Pennsylvania; and Manvel, Texas this fall.

During his tour, Barnett will share his passion for picture books and invite children and adults alike to join him in celebrating what’s vibrant, joyful and inspiring about this quintessential – and highly participatory – American art form. As the ninth national ambassador, Barnett aims to shift the perception that picture books are merely a steppingstone to adult literature. He believes that reading picture books is a collaborative experience that creates space for children and adults to come together around shared storytelling.

“Picture books are a beautiful, sophisticated and vibrant art form, the source of some of the most profound reading experiences in children’s (and adults’) lives. I am, of course, excited to talk to young readers from communities all around the country. The joy of sharing picture books with kids is why I started writing children’s books in the first place,” Barnett said. “And, I’m also eager to speak to adults – who often underestimate or overlook children’s literature – to champion the power of picture books and the brilliance of the kids who read them.”

Barnett will engage readers through his platform “Behold, The Picture Book! Let’s Celebrate Stories We Can Feel, Hear, and See,” which explores the deeply impactful ways picture books blend words and illustrations, and even the turning of a page, to create a unique and lasting reading experience.

Barnett will visit with readers at two events per tour stop: a public event at a community location, such as a library, theater or university, and a closed program with one or two area schools. The tour will launch with a public event at Coronado Public Library on Tuesday, May 20, at 4 p.m. in Coronado, California.

The 2025 dates for public events in Indiana, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Texas will be announced later this year. Public events are free but may require ticketing.

Each student in the schools Barnett visits on tour will receive one of his acclaimed picture books, donated by Candlewick Press, as part of the National Ambassador program’s overarching mission to enhance young people’s connection with books. The communities Barnett visits on tour will receive information about popular digital collections items from the Library of Congress’ archives in addition to tailored information about Library resources and/or grant opportunities. The tour is coordinated with primary support from Every Child a Reader, the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature program partner, an award-winning literacy charity.

To follow Barnett’s journey across the country, visit his National Ambassador LibGuide.

The position of National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature 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.

As the world’s largest library – one uniquely charged with the development and preservation of civic, intellectual and creative vigor – programs like the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature advance the Library of Congress’ engagement and commitment to readers across America. Likewise, the Library is committed to acquiring and maintaining materials that celebrate the breadth and evolution of children’s books; collections like Children’s Book Selections include classic works and lesser-known treasures and are free to use and reuse.

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.

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).

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 106 years in 2025; Get Caught Reading, a classroom poster project; 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.

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Media Contacts: Deb Fiscella, Library of Congress, dfiscella@loc.gov | Rachel Kirby, Candlewick Press, rachel.kirby@walkerbooksgroup.com

Public Contact: Anya Creightney, Library of Congress, acre@loc.gov | Shaina Birkhead, Every Child A Reader, shaina.birkhead@cbcbooks.org