Gene Luen Yang has been chosen as the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for a two year term, the organizers of the program announced Monday.  Yang, the first comics creator selected for the program, will tour the country promoting his platform, "Reading Without Walls,” and speaking to parents, teachers, librarians, and other audiences.  The selection of Yang was announced by the Children’s Book Council, Every Child a Reader, and the Center for the Book in the Library of Congress. 

The program was launched in 2008, and the most recent Ambassador was famed children’s book author Kate DiCamillo, who also served on the committee selecting her replacement.

As usual, Yang was eloquent in describing his feelings about his new role.  “I’m thrilled and humbled to be appointed National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature,” he said. “Reading breaks down the walls that divide us. By reading, we get to know people outside of our own communities. 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 Children's Book Council, Every Child a Reader, and Library of Congress 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.”

Publishers kick in the bucks for the program; 2016 support is provided by HarperCollins Children’s Books, Macmillan Children’s Publishing Group, Penguin Young Readers Group, Random House Children’s Books, Scholastic, Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers, and the Lois Lenski Covey Foundation.