Today, the Librarian of Congress, James H. Billington, appointed Katherine Paterson, who has twice won the National Book Award and the John Newbery Medal, as the second National Ambassador for Young People's Literature. Katherine Paterson is the author of a number of excellent children's books, including Bridge to Terabithia, Jacob Have I Loved and The Great Gilly Hopkins. According to the Library of Congress news release, "The position [of National Ambassador for Young People's Literature] 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." Paterson's two-year term will include 2010 and 2011.

Katherine Paterson succeeds educator, children's book author and literacy advocate Jon Scieszka, the founder of Guys Read, a nonprofit web-based literacy organization dedicated to encouraging boys to read. The Center for the Book in the Library of Congress, the Children's Book Council (CBC) and the CBC Foundation are the sponsors of the National Ambassador for Young People's Literature initiative.

What do you think about the position of National Ambassador for Young People's Literature and the selection of Katherine Paterson? Click on "Comments" below and post your opinions.

(Photograph © Samantha Loomis Paterson)

If you are an aspiring (or published) author or illustrator of books for children and/or teens, you may find the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators (SCBWI) a very helpful resource. Check the national SCBWI Web site for information about regional conferences all over the United States, as well as in South Africa, the British Isles, the Phillipines, and other countries. Conferences such as these can not only assist those of you who are writers and/or illustrators to improve your skills, they can also help you learn more about query letters and submitting your work to publishers. For more helpful resources for writers and illustrators, see my Getting Published directory.

If you look on my January 2010 Calendar of Children's Books, you'll see that today is the 225th anniversary of the birthday of one of the brother Grimm - Jacob Grimm. Many of the most popular fairy tales of today developed centuries ago and evolved over time into stories for children. When I was a child I listened to Grimm's fairy tales with both horror and delight. When I began researching the subject, I was pleased to find some excellent online resources related to Grimm's fairy tales. These include information about the brothers Grimm and the stories they collected, as well as the text of about 90 of the fairy tales. What fairy tales do you still remember from your childhood? Click on "Comments" below and let me know.

I was pleased to see Dick King-Smith and Lauren Child on the UK's New Year 2009 Honours List in recognition of their contributions to children's literature. Dick King-Smith, the author of more than 100 children's books, was awarded an OBE. The popular children's movie Babe was adapted from his book The Sheep-Pig. Lauren Child, who is both a children's author and illustrator, was awarded an MBE. She is most known for her Charlie and Lola picture books and TV series and her Clarice Bean books. For more about some of Lauren Child's Charlie and Lola books, see my reviews of I Am Too Absolutely Small For School and We Are Extremely Very Good Recyclers. Have your children enjoyed books by Dick King-Smith and Lauren Child? Click on "Comments" below to share their opinions of them.

(Cover art courtesy of Candlewick Press)