National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is a title that is normally awarded every two years to an American children’s author or illustrator. The position is intended 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.”
The position of national ambassador was established in 2008 under the direction of the librarian of Congress. The award is sponsored by the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress; the Children’s Book Council, a publishers’ organization; and Every Child a Reader, an independent foundation. The usual two-year term was extended to three years for author Jason Reynolds, who began his term as national ambassador in 2020 but had his program of travel and meetings with young people interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic.
