Thank you, John Scieszka

Since January 3, 2008 Jon Scieszka has been our "National Ambassador for Young People's Literature."  I wondered, "What is an ambassador?"  I knew it had to be more than a figurehead position... so, I looked up the word "ambassador."  What did I find out?
     An ambassador is an authorized messenger.  An ambassador is a representative whose task is to provide a connection.  An ambassador has passion and brings his/her passion to the forefront of his/her mission.  An ambassador is a link.  An ambassador represents the masses and stays well informed.  An ambassador performs an outreach, equipped with the the necessary skills and strategies to bring hope, peace, or diplomacy to a group of people, based on their needs or expectations.  An ambassador is a resource.  An ambassador uses a variety of tools to accomplish a task.  An ambassador is an informant and is informed.  An ambassador is an excellent communicator.  An ambassador is enthusiastic, proactive, reliable, responsible, and has the knack to establish rapport.  An ambassador has the ability to unify, assess, and implement.  An ambassador is proactive and meets each task with understanding.  An ambassador is influential.

     And that's exactly what we had in Jon Scieszka.  Someone who has represented us well through his words, his thoughts, and his actions.  

     I love his website for readers http://www.guysread.com.  When I read Knucklehead:  Tall Tales and Almost True Stories of Growing up Scieszka for the first time I thought he had written it just for me!  If you want to read more about Jon and his important work, you can go to http://www.jsworldwide.com, another great site!
     Jon Scieszka says, "Rhymes with Fresca!" when asked how to pronounce his name... and if you look at the description of Fresca (introduced in 1966 when he was eight) it includes words like, "Surprisingly complex, distinctively crisp, intriguing, totally refreshing..."  The same words I would use to describe Jon and his work.  Thank you, Mr. Scieszka, for making our jobs a little easier and for being our ambassador.  Your shoes will be tough to fill, you've forged a wonderful "path" for your successor to follow!

*For more information about Jon Scieszka's role as ambassador check out his tribute at A Year of Reading... http://readingyear.blogspot.com/2010/01/thank-you-jon-scieszka.html