According to the Children's Book Council, "the position 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." This is the first award of its kind awarded in the United States. Although a children's poet laureate was also awarded for the first time this year to Jack Prelutsky.
Jon was chosen because:
“Jon is someone who can talk to a room full of kids and make them giggle, he can talk to a room full of parents and have them hanging on every word, and he can talk to a room full of educators and have them taking notes,” according to Robin Adelson, the CBC’s executive director.
Jon has published many best-selling titles in the forms of picture books and easy readers. His Time Warp Trio series has been made into a television show. The Time Warp Trio books and television series are supposed to get children interested in history.
“My plan is to really help people identify kids who are reluctant readers and provide concrete things for them to do,” says Scieszka. “People don’t realize the great stuff we have out there. We just have to find a way to get it to them.”
Scieszka also hopes to expand the general definition of reading in this country. “Nonfiction, humor, online, magazines—it all counts!” He’d like people to “stop demonizing TV and online as the enemy,” saying that kids can and should be able to do both. “Reading will give them something those platforms can’t. And it would be nice to have more weight behind me to tell a teacher ‘Let the kid read Captain Underpants!’ ”
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