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Program Poetry & Literature

History of the Position

The position of National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature was established in 2008 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 selection, made by the Librarian of Congress, is based on recommendations from field experts and an independent committee, both comprising of educators, librarians, booksellers and children’s literature specialists.

The National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is an initiative of the Library of Congress, in partnership with Every Child a Reader External link, with generous support from the Library of Congress James Madison Council.

To learn more about former ambassadors and their platforms, please visit the emeritus section.

Selection Criteria

  • Author or illustrator of fiction or nonfiction books
  • U.S. citizen, living in the United States
  • Excellent and facile communicator
  • Dynamic and engaging personality
  • Known ability to relate to children; communicates well and regularly with them
  • Someone who has made a substantial contribution to young people’s literature
  • Stature; someone who is revered by children and who has earned the respect and admiration of his or her peers
  • Dedication to fostering children’s literacy as a whole, beyond their own body of work

2025-2026 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature Selection Committee

  • Calvin Crosby, co-owner of The King’s English Bookshop and executive director of Brain Food Books.
  • Joanna Ho, bestselling author, former English teacher, high school vice principal and designer of an alternative-to-prison program.
  • Michell Wright Jumpp, 2021 New York Library Association’s School Librarian of the Year and the school library media specialist at Horizons-on-the-Hudson in Newburgh, New York.
  • Daisy Martin, 2023 Idaho Human Rights Educator of the Year and former English teacher at Sage Valley Middle School in Nampa, Idaho.
  • Meg Medina, 2023-2024 National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature and bestselling author.
  • Ellen Myrick, president of Publisher Spotlight and founder of Myrick Marketing & Media.
  • Jennie Pu, director of the Hoboken Public Library in Hoboken, New Jersey.
  • Manuela Soares, director of the M.S. in Publishing program at Pace University and director of Pace University Press.
  • Rocco Staino, director of the Empire State Center for the Book and host of “StoryMakers” and “KidLitTV.”