Paterson Named National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

Congratulations to author Katherine Paterson who has just been named the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress and Every Child a Reader, a nonprofit organization partnering with the Children’s Book Council.  Ms. Paterson, who has written more than three dozen critically acclaimed and bestselling books for children and young adult readers, succeeds the first ambassador Jon Scieszka. Paterson is a two-time Newbery Medalist (for Bridge to Terabithia  in 1978, and Jacob Have I Loved in 1981) and a two-time National Book Award winner (The Master Puppeteer in 1977 and The Great Gilly Hopkins in 1979).  She is also the recipient of the Hans Christian Anderson Medal (1998) and most recently, the Astrid Lindgren Award for Lifetime Achievement (2006).   Wow, that's a lot of well-deserved hardware.

But Katherine Paterson is far too passionate about reading and storytelling to rest on her laurels.  In a recent interview with the New York Times she emphasized just how much books contribute to the quality of our lives and our capacity for understanding one another:

"With books, she said, kids (and adults) use their “powers of intellect and imagination” and experience “delight.” Stories also teach children about people from other religions, races, and countries, she said. “Books help us make friends who are different from ourselves.” 

As Ambassador Paterson leads the charge for putting reading at the forefront of kids' and parents' daily habits, we look forward to re-reading many of her own thought-provoking books in the weeks and months ahead.  First on my list, her latest novel, The Day of the Pelican, surely a front-runner for a Newbery nod. Stay tuned for the announcement by the American Library Association on January 18.

--Lauren