The Children's Book Council and the Library of Congress's Center for the Book have selected Jon Scieszka, author of The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Tales (Viking, 1992) as the U.S.'s first National Ambassador for Young People's Literature.According to the Library of Congress press release, "The position was created 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."
Scieszka has some specific goals, but they are all related to showing parents, educators, librarians and others how to involve kids in reading.
He wants to reach reluctant readers and reassure their parents that it's not all about test results. He wants kids to enjoy reading, regardless of type of book. He sees a place for nonfiction, graphic novels, science fiction, humor or whatever interests them.
He intends to get out in the public eye via talk shows, speeches, web sites or whatever. In the February 2008 issue of School Library Journal, he says, "I'm excited about being able to present the world of kids' books to the public at large in a way that might make them stop and go, Wow! There's more to this than I thought. "
Scieszka is a former second and third grade teacher, the creator of Guys Read (which helps boys find books they like to read) as well as the new Jon Scieszka's Trucktown, which will consist of over 50 books and videos for preschoolers.
The financial sponsor of the program is Cheerios, which puts books into the hands of children via its "Spoonfuls of Stories" program - which has distributed more than 30 million free books by putting them inside cereal boxes.
Currently Reading: "The Stinky Cheese Man" by Jon Scieszka
Currently Listening to: "Sweet Child of Mine" by Guns N' Roses
(yes, I listen to a lot of metal -- comes from having a teen son)
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