Appreciations, Kate! Hello Gene! by J.G. Annino

In many U.S. states & other places where this
blog reaches, it is cold and wet.

Any gray blahs of winter can be banished by
a warm welcome for the new National Young
People’s Literature Ambassador affiliated
with the Library of Congress.

On January 7, 2016 the successor to Ambassador
Kate DiCamillo visited room L-119 in the
Thomas Jefferson Building of the Library of
Congress to accept the honor.   

                                                      

Widely popular author/comics illustrator Gene Luen Yang met widely popular author
Kate DiCamillo, who praised him in this statement from the Library of Congress -

“Gene Yang is a talented writer. He is a brilliant artist. 

His stories are thought-provoking, genre-bending, utterly original 

examinations of the human heart. In short, Gene Yang is a 

renaissance man. I am so honored to pass the torch of this sacred 

task to Gene. No one is better suited for bringing us all together.” 

So, appreciations outgoing laureate, KATE DICAMILLO.

Here is a lovely visit with her conducted for

The Horn Book in November 2015. We are glad you will

have more time to imagine, create, & write more books. And, did everyone

here at Group Blog have a chance to read her August, 2015 release? Go!

GENE LUEN YANG is familiar with kids+reading+schools, as he
has enlivened many hours in the classroom for students
as a Bay Area computer science, math and art teacher.

He now is an educator, not only as the U.S. Young
People's Literature Ambassador for the next two years, but
also but with Hamline University’s Children’s and 

Young Adult Literature MFA program.   

He says his focus is the intersection of stories and

illustration. Although he is famous for award-winning graphic novels,

he says he is interested in what makes most readers of this blog

pay attention - picture books. 

Although I couldn't find that he has published a picture book, I'm hoping
that the youngest readers will be gifted with his first children's picture
book not too far away.

Gene re-invented the Pat-A-Cake child’s

rhyme for his contribution in NURSERY RHYME COMICS &
he is one of the cut-ups who contributed to COMICS SQUAD.

In addition to our welcome today, Gene has been applauded 

in many articles posted online & here are only two.

100 Scopes Notes by Michigan Librarian Travis Jonker

Good Comics for Kids writer Brigid Alverson at School Library Journal

One of his many honors is that he earned Young
People's Literature category finalist status, in the National Book Awards
in the same year that his AMERICAN BORN CHINESE graphic
novel (not autobiographical as
many people assume) of three stories,
won the coveted ALA teen book honor,
the Michael L. Printz Award (named for a Topeka, Kansas librarian
and active children's literature specialist, who

in his short life, discovered author Chris Crutcher.)

I hope during his two years, Gene Luen Yang is able to visit a school, bookstore, library
or book conference near you - and me :) Thank you for taking on this important job, Gene!
While waiting for him to visit, you can listen to this podcast.

                                      official photo of Gene Luen Yang, from First Second Books