Mac Barnett was named the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature February of this year by the Library of Congress. They even make him wear his medal everywhere he goes! (Ok, only when attending official NAfYPL events). Mac chose to focus on the importance of the picture book for his two year term & he even handed out his secrets at the Alvin ISD reading on October 23, 2025.
The Reading
Before I share those, I will briefly go over the reading (view pictures here). After we clapped and clapped for his achievement as NAfYPL he read us Sam & David Dig a Hole, in which a couple of friends set out to dig for treasure but keep missing the diamonds underneath the Earth. Their dog seems more aware of what is happening than Sam or David, who seem more concerned with chocolate milk & animal crackers.
while Sam & David are far gone in another direction
Next we took some time to analyze the illustrations & the fact that we assume Sam & David are on Earth but then… how come they can dig so quickly & in every direction? The last spread, although similar to their original home, carries some differences that tells us that maybe “they dropped into an alternate dimension” as my son volunteered.
I’ll tell you why this is importan in a minute…
How To Read a Picture Book Out Loud!
Mac asked for “two minutes” from the youth in the audience to talk to the parents about what it take to read well out loud! Here are the four easy secrets to becoming as good as Mac Barnett:
One: Preview the book before you read it. Two: Perform the book with voices, pace & mystery (hide pages if they reveal an answer). Three: Bare your child tastes, even if they are not your own! And Four: Talk about (analyze) the book. Picture books may appear simple but combined with illustrations they carry much more meaning.
After these tips, Mac read three chapters of The First Cat in Space Ate Pizza. His reading was so interactive, hilarious, & suspenseful that even though my niece does not speak English she was ENTRACED! She was so concerned: Who bit off chunks of the moon?!!
Why Attending Author Events Matters
I want you to notice, though, that my sister was also very into this reading. This week, & I will make another post about it, I also saw Kate DiCamillo & Sophie Blackall. Both Mac & Kate said they had never met an author as children, & they did not consider becoming an author as a career until a teacher opened it up as a possibility. Almost at every author reading I have attended this is the same response. This leads me to the realization:
If current authors never met authors, what is expected of the parents in the audience!!
DiCamillo was so kind to involve parents in her Q & A. Mac & other authors usually try to focus on the children. And I understand. But author readings, especially children’s author readings are a novelty! They are a new concept! As DiCamillo said: “Adults need to be read out loud to too.” And although that was inciting kids to practice their reading for their parents, I think it is also a way of healing for some of us, who were not read to as children, who were not enterained in this way.
(swear my niece was not yawning the whole time as demonstrated above lol)
I bet most adults in the audience relished being read out loud to even if they did not know that they needed the experience. As parents we get to live this with our kids. Research shows that reading to kids up to 5th grade is beneficial, but as is evident above, even adults enjoy it!
I remember when I first sat through my first story time. It was actually before kids, when I joined the youth services department in a public library. Watching my then boss’ story time was such a soothing experience, it felt nurturing. I thought: no wonder kids like this! lol
Children’s author readings can be especially rewarding if, as Mac says, the presenter is part actor, part singer, part performer. We can do this in the intimacy of our home. We can set off those feelings of nurture, comfort, & security by reading bedtime books & reading them well.
Attending author events makes success
feel attainable for children.
Especially bestselling authors can achieve celebrity status! Especially as avid readers, we are starstruck! But, especially children’s writers are so down to earth! When a child attends an event, they not only see an author in the flesh, in intimate proximity, but then… to be able to ask them the questions we asked after we read a book in our heads as children & then forgot because how were we supposed to find our favorite author’s snail mail address?
When a child gets to interact face to face with authors & illustrators, sure the obvious possibility of becoming an author or illustrator is open for them. But also, they may be more comfortable approaching a high-level person in their field of choice because, heck, they’ve met & talked to more famous people! Engaging with authors normalizes success, and makes their version of success imaginable for kids. “If Mac Barnett became an author without meeting one, I can sure become a doctor if I see one at least once a year.,” they may think.
If no one attends literary events we will go back to raising kids who never saw an author growing up. Slamming doors that have already been opened. Especially as Hispanics/Latinos, we need to raise children who are not intimidated by success. We need to raise children that see it 100% as an option for them.
Literature & Our Shared Humanity
I am not sure if this is my misconception, or a true misconception, but I suspect someone may be sitting at home & saying, “I’ve never been a reader” or “I don’t like to read.” Ok, but I’m saying they READ TO YOU at these things! Who said you had to be in the field of teaching, librarianship, creative writing, or parenting to attend author readings?
Literature is in the humanities, alongside with history, philosophy, religion, and the arts. Making up stories has been passed down orally for millenia. It is innate to our experience as people living on this Earth. Nowadays, somehow it got roped into politics… but you can always choose which writers you like or to which you want your children exposed.
Most people are courteous when they attend readings, and the writers tend never to get political unless their book is politically charged to begin with. Literature belongs to all of us, & luckily we are seeing more representation in literature. However, we can always learn from people, cultures, made-up worlds that are different from us.
I appreciate that a school in the Alvin district applied for a grant to have the esteemed National Amabassador for Young People’s Literature come visit! Texas was one out of only five states NATIONWIDE that got to see this presentation, AND THE MEDAL!! LOL
The fact that he presented outside not only the loop, but the BELTWAY actually was also a big deal when we talk about representation and access to literature. We know people in cities may be more likely to attend literary readings. As a fan & professional admirer of Barnett’s since my initiation into librarianship, it meant a lot to have him step foot near my current rural hometown. I was also glad to capture his emotive expression of gratitude to a friend local to Houston. I suspect this will not be his last reading in the area so long as Blue Willow’s Ms. Cathy continues to reside here.
I leave you with a close up of that medal. I’m sure Barnett would appreciate it.
If you consider that he probably did not forsee wearing this medal as a child in 2nd grade when he began writing stories for fun, or even as a teenager in 7th grade when his English teacher mentioned the possibility of becoming a writer, you can appreciate the concept of attending readings & the lasting impression these could make on our kids!
Biblioterika 