[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 156 (2010), Part 1]
[Senate]
[Pages 277-278]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




         2010 NATIONAL AMBASSADOR FOR YOUNG PEOPLE'S LITERATURE

  Mr. LEAHY. Mr. President, I am pleased that this month Katherine 
Paterson of Barre, VT, has been named the 2010 National Ambassador for 
Young People's Literature. Her books, which include ``A Bridge to 
Terabithia,'' ``Jacob Have I Loved,'' and ``Bread and Roses Too,'' 
motivate young readers to become excited about reading and understand 
struggles and joy in their own lives. She has long inspired readers in 
Vermont and across the country to make reading a daily part of their 
lives.
  Reading at a young age can have a dramatic impact on a child's 
ability to succeed and learn more than can be taught in a classroom. In 
my home town of Montpelier, VT, the Kellogg-Hubbard Library serves as 
the center of the community to many local children. When I am home, I 
love seeing children flood the library after school and borrow new and 
exciting books or choose to reread old favorites.
  Despite what I witness at my local Vermont library, reading rates 
among children today are on the decline, which makes Ms. Paterson's 
role as National Ambassador even more crucial as she tours the country 
to attract new, young readers. I cannot think of a better suited choice 
for this challenging role, and I congratulate her on her appointment. 
On a personal note, Marcelle and I have valued our years of friendship 
with Katherine and John Paterson.

[[Page 278]]

  I ask unanimous consent to have printed in the Record a January 6, 
2010, Washington Post article about this year's National Ambassador for 
Young People's Literature.
  There being no objection, the material was ordered to be printed in 
the Record, as follows:

                [From the Washington Post, Jan. 6, 2010]

    Katherine Paterson Named National Ambassador for Young People's 
                               Literature

                         (By David Montgomery)

       The Stinky Cheese Man has been replaced by the Queen of 
     Terabithia.
       They have nothing in common, these two, and yet everything 
     in common. Tuesday morning in the Library of Congress, with 
     elementary school children as witnesses, the ceremony of 
     succession was accomplished and a proud nation with so-so 
     reading habits got a new National Ambassador for Young 
     People's Literature.
       She is Katherine Paterson, the award-winning author of more 
     than 30 books, probably best-known for ``Bridge to 
     Terabithia,'' which was published and Newbery-Medaled in the 
     late 1970s but had its longest run on the bestseller lists 
     after release of the 2007 movie.
       The outgoing ambassador wisecracked about all the imaginary 
     diplomatic perks he would be giving up. He is Jon Scieszka, 
     the award-winning author of more than three dozen illustrated 
     books and chapter books and the Web-savvy creator of an 
     online kid empire--but perhaps best known for his 1992 opus, 
     ``The Stinky Cheese Man and Other Fairly Stupid Fairy 
     Tales.''
       It's hard to imagine two more different writers being asked 
     to perform the same mission. Scieszka was the first kid-lit 
     ambassador, serving the two-year term.
       ``We couldn't be more different,'' said Scieszka, 55. 
     ``Sometimes you want to read `Bridge to Terabithia' and deal 
     with that, sometimes you're feeling like a `Knucklehead' and 
     `Stinky Cheese Man.' Kids are willing to try all of it.''
       ``If you're trying to catch young readers, you have to fish 
     with the right bait,'' said Paterson, 77. ``Kids that are 
     going to be caught by Jon's books are not going to be caught 
     by my books.''
       Corey Shaw, 10, a fifth-grader at Brent Elementary School--
     one of three Capitol Hill schools that sent about a dozen 
     students each to the ceremony--has read both ``Terabithia'' 
     and Scieszka's ``Tut, Tut.'' He gave thumbs up to both.
       ``It's actually a very important and surprising book,'' 
     Corey said of ``Tut, Tut,'' about a trip back in time to 
     ancient Egypt.
       Of ``Terabithia,'' about a boy and a girl who invent a 
     magical land together, Corey said: ``The ending was very sad. 
     Then I thought about it, and it's not that bad. You have to 
     remember that you have to get over things.''
       Indeed, many of the other students also turned out to be 
     what you might call Stinky Cheese Terabithians, fans of both 
     the incoming and outgoing ambassadors, which helped Librarian 
     of Congress James Billington and the others behind the 
     ambassadorships make their larger point. The ambassador's 
     role is to raise national awareness about the importance of 
     young people's literature in getting young readers off to a 
     good start. By picking two such different writers as the 
     first two ambassadors, the program reminds parents that there 
     are many different ways to be a reader, Billington said.
       ``Read for your life,'' Paterson told the young people in 
     the audience.``Read for your life as a member of a family, as 
     a part of a community, as a citizen of this country and a 
     citizen of the world.''
       Meanwhile, reading rates among young people are in decline, 
     while there has been an uptick in reading among adults, 
     according to the latest figures released by the National 
     Endowment for the Arts. Just over half of 9-year-olds, fewer 
     than a third of 13-year-olds and about one-in-five 17-year-
     olds read almost every day for fun, the NEA reported in 2007.
       The ambassador's responsibilities amount to making 
     appearances at major book events around the country to 
     evangelize for young reading--which Paterson has been doing 
     for 30 years. ``It will sound a little fancier now that I 
     have this medal,'' she said.
       A selection committee of children's book experts and the 
     outgoing ambassador recommended Paterson to Billington. 
     Sponsors of the ambassador program include the library's 
     Center for the Book and the Children's Book Council, a 
     nonprofit trade association. Several publishers also 
     underwrite expenses.
       Paterson's works include ``Jacob Have I Loved,'' ``The 
     Great Gilly Hopkins,'' ``Bread and Roses, Too,'' and, most 
     recently, ``The Day of the Pelican,'' about a refugee 
     family's escape from the war in Kosovo to the United States.
       Paterson lives in Barre, Vt., but inspiration for 
     ``Terabithia'' came when she lived in Takoma Park. Her son 
     David had a best friend, Lisa Hill, and the pair played 
     imaginative games in Sligo Creek Park. While away on 
     vacation, Lisa was struck and killed by lightning. Paterson 
     wrote ``Terabithia'' to make sense of the tragedy, with 
     protagonists named Leslie and Jess.
       Before the ceremony in the library, David Paterson walked 
     up to the rows of students. Katherine Paterson's four 
     children, seven grandchildren and husband had come to watch 
     her be honored.
       ``How many kids have read `Bridge to Terabithia'?'' he 
     asked. Nearly 30 hands shot up. ``You can tell your friends 
     you met the original Jess.''
       Charlotte Harrington gasped. She's 9, a fourth-grader at 
     St. Peter's Interparish School. ``Terabithia'' is one of her 
     favorite books. ``It starts out miserable, and then goes 
     joyous, then goes downhill, then uphill,'' she said after 
     David Paterson walked away.
       When it was Charlotte's turn to get ``Bread and Roses, 
     Too,'' signed by Paterson, the girl told the author, ``I 
     loved `Bridge to Terabithia.' It's one of the best books 
     ever.''
       The Charlottes of the nation don't need an ambassador. But 
     she and her friends had plenty of ideas for the new 
     ambassador on hooking reluctant young readers.
       ``Give them a book that shows them what they feel like,'' 
     said Fiona Campbell, 9, a fourth-grader at St. Peter's.
       Isn't that what Paterson and Scieszka both have been doing, 
     after their own fashion? Afterwards, they laughed about being 
     such an odd couple.
       ``I think the No. 3 [ambassador] should be different from 
     both of us!'' Paterson said. ``The variety of books is a 
     wonder to behold, but we also have a variety of readers.''

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