Graphic novelist Gene Luen Yang has been appointed the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature by The Library of Congress, the Children’s Book Council (CBC) and Every Child a Reader (ECAR).
In his two-year role, Yang will travel around the country promoting “Reading without Walls,” a program designed to encourage kids and teens to make reading a central part of their lives. He will also be speaking to parents, teachers, librarians to help give advice on how to foster a life long love of reading among kids.
The inaugural ceremony is on Thursday, Jan. 7 at 11 a.m. in room LJ-119 of the Library of Congress Thomas Jefferson Building, 10 First St. S.E., Washington D.C. The event is free and open to the public.
“I’m thrilled and humbled to be appointed National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature. Reading breaks down the walls that divide us. By reading, we get to know people outside of our own communities,” stated Yang. “We gain knowledge others don’t expect us to have. We discover new and surprising passions. Reading is critical to our growth, both as individuals and as a society. The Library of Congress, Children’s Book Council and Every Child a Reader all empower people by getting them to read. I’m honored to take up that mission myself and to carry on the amazing work of the ambassadors before me.”