105 Ways to Give a Book

National Ambassador for Young People's Literature

Since lots of people in the kidlitosphere are writing about today’s announcement of the new National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, I wasn’t going to. But it turns out to be Walter Dean Myers, and hey, I actually talked to him for a decent amount of time at one of those ALA conferences. So the tiny personal connection makes it even a bit more real. Then I caught his platform, his motto for the year and I was hooked:
Reading Is Not Optional
In his interview at School Library Journal he goes on to say:
The value of reading has escalated in my lifetime. As a young man, I saw families prosper without reading because there were always sufficient opportunities for willing workers who could follow simple instructions. This is no longer the case. Children who don’t read are, in the main, destined for lesser lives. I feel a deep sense of responsibility to change this.
Actually, the whole interview makes me excited. Color me on board! Congratulations to Walter Dean Myers and best of luck!
Category: 2 comments

2 comments:

Sarah Stevenson said...

Thanks for posting the additional comments from Walter Dean Myers! I love his statement that reading is not optional.

I saw him speak at an SCBWI conference a few years ago, and he was both intimidating and inspiring. :)

Nicole said...

Stay in the loop on all of Walter’s tenure-related news and travel on his official Facebook Page: http://on.fb.me/z8znCP