CONGRATULATIONS to
KATE DICAMILLO,
Named Fourth National Ambassador
for Young People's Literature!
Platform to be "Stories Connect Us"
Kate
DiCamillo has been named the fourth National Ambassador for Young People’s
Literature, appointed by Librarian of Congress James H. Billington in
January 2014. The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature
raises 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.DiCamillo will serve in the position through 2015. She succeeds Walter Dean Myers, who served in 2012-2013; Katherine Paterson, who served in 2010-2011; and Jon Scieszka, who served in 2008-2009.
The award-winning DiCamillo has chosen “Stories Connect Us” as the theme for her platform.
DiCamillo is the author of many books for young readers. Her books have been awarded the Newbery Medal (The Tale of Despereaux, 2004), the Newbery Honor (Because of Winn-Dixie, 2001), the Boston Globe Horn Book Award (The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, 2006), and the Theodor Geisel Medal and Honor (Bink and Gollie, co-author Alison MdGhee, 2011; Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride, 2007). DiCamillo's most recent book is the novel Flora & Ulysses, illustrated by K. G. Campbell and published by Candlewick Press. 
DiCamillo is a contributor to the NCBLA's award-winning anthology Our White House: Looking In, Looking Out. She also contributed two stories to the NCBLA's progressive story game The Exquisite Corpse Adventure, created as a national reading and writing initiative in partnership with the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress; the Children's Book Council (CBC); and Every Child a Reader (ECAR), a 501 (c)(3) literacy organization dedicated to instilling a lifelong love of reading in children, are the sponsors of the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature initiative.
Learn more about DiCamillo and her work on her website. And learn more about the National Ambassador program on Read.gov.
