I remember finding my then middle-schooler, voracious reader of all things, lying on the floor with a small stack of picture books after a rough day at school. She knew good medicine. Behold, indeed! Congratulations, Mac -- this is the best.
I have to admit, I got choked up reading this. Exactly one year ago, Mac was the reason I started looking at picture books. Before that, I was drifting—restless, directionless—through graphic design, motion graphics, animation, research… a true artistic nomad. And just as disheartened as Gil (Owen Wilson) in Midnight in Paris, longing for golden ages past and feeling out of place in contemporary creative circles. Then, by chance, I watched an interview with Mac on YouTube. And then another. And after three months, I realized I had watched every single interview—video or text—that Mac and Jon had out there. After a decade of bouncing between different artistic fields, I finally felt at home.
Beyond the sheer artistic brilliance of the picture book, there’s another reason I’ve come to see it as a flag worth carrying: The picture book was born in the 19th century—when literature and painting had already had their golden eras—and, at the same time, it's just as young as cinema. But unlike cinema, it hasn’t been explored to exhaustion. Even in the 21st century, the picture book remains an untapped goldmine, full of possibilities, unburdened by the fear that past masters have already done it all.
And while Midnight in Paris ends with the idea that every artist romanticizes the past, I can confidently say I’m the exception. Because I truly believe that a time when Mac Barnett is the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is the golden age of picture books.
Thank you, Mac and Jon. I feel incredibly lucky to be living in the same era as you.
Congratulations Mac! This is so well deserved and I'm excited to see what you do with your platform. I've loved that our kids keep returning to the picture books on their shelves, and that so many pictures books help with the many questions and milestones in life, in a way that makes it easier to have conversations and figure things out together. It's such an important medium!
It pains me to admit that I could easily be the kind of mom who 'evolves' her children to 'real' books at a certain age. But I still remember the first time I heard Mac say that his mother never took the picture books off his shelves and that just made sense to me. I'm sure your platform will help many moms see picture books in a new light. Congrats again, Mac! They couldn’t have picked a better person for the job!
Congratulations Mac, truly a perfect choice, and thanks for the great interview, Jon! We have just completed a writing exercise with fifth graders using picture books. The students had to identify a problem or conflict in the book and write about how it was resolved. They had the best time with the assignment, and some of their favorite book choices included Mac's Oh No! Not Again! and Jon's "Hat" series.
Congratulations!!! I did a pop up display in our library with both of your work, individual and collaborative, highlighting your ambassadorship and Jon’s wonderful new board books! Next week I’ll draft our proposal to bring you to our library…. Just saying…it’s in 🇮🇹. Not a bad place to rest during your whistle-stop tour! 😅🙏✨📚 🪄
Congratulations Mac! Your platform makes so much sense to me and is so powerful because honoring picture books = honoring kids. I would love it if we replaced pride in "growing out of picture books" with a love and respect for them. Behold the picture book!
I remember the excitement I felt when I knew the picture book was Mac’s focus. I think I saw it in Publishers Weekly, and then it led me here. Anyway, huge congratulations and way to go, Mac！
Congratulations! The perfect person for the job. I love that your campaign is focused on picture books. You work with some amazing artists! My third graders have gotten quite familiar with the names Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen along with several others this year!
"I think a deeper respect for kids' books requires a deeper respect for kids."
Yes.
Congratulations Mac! This is so well deserved.
Can we hope for an English translation of La Porta Segreta, which would fit nicely with your new duties? 🤞🏻🤞🏻🤞🏻
I remember finding my then middle-schooler, voracious reader of all things, lying on the floor with a small stack of picture books after a rough day at school. She knew good medicine. Behold, indeed! Congratulations, Mac -- this is the best.
I have to admit, I got choked up reading this. Exactly one year ago, Mac was the reason I started looking at picture books. Before that, I was drifting—restless, directionless—through graphic design, motion graphics, animation, research… a true artistic nomad. And just as disheartened as Gil (Owen Wilson) in Midnight in Paris, longing for golden ages past and feeling out of place in contemporary creative circles. Then, by chance, I watched an interview with Mac on YouTube. And then another. And after three months, I realized I had watched every single interview—video or text—that Mac and Jon had out there. After a decade of bouncing between different artistic fields, I finally felt at home.
Beyond the sheer artistic brilliance of the picture book, there’s another reason I’ve come to see it as a flag worth carrying: The picture book was born in the 19th century—when literature and painting had already had their golden eras—and, at the same time, it's just as young as cinema. But unlike cinema, it hasn’t been explored to exhaustion. Even in the 21st century, the picture book remains an untapped goldmine, full of possibilities, unburdened by the fear that past masters have already done it all.
And while Midnight in Paris ends with the idea that every artist romanticizes the past, I can confidently say I’m the exception. Because I truly believe that a time when Mac Barnett is the National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature is the golden age of picture books.
Thank you, Mac and Jon. I feel incredibly lucky to be living in the same era as you.
Congratulations Mac! This is so well deserved and I'm excited to see what you do with your platform. I've loved that our kids keep returning to the picture books on their shelves, and that so many pictures books help with the many questions and milestones in life, in a way that makes it easier to have conversations and figure things out together. It's such an important medium!
It pains me to admit that I could easily be the kind of mom who 'evolves' her children to 'real' books at a certain age. But I still remember the first time I heard Mac say that his mother never took the picture books off his shelves and that just made sense to me. I'm sure your platform will help many moms see picture books in a new light. Congrats again, Mac! They couldn’t have picked a better person for the job!
Congratulations!! So exciting.
This is super cool! Congrats, Mac!
Congrats Mac! May joy, story and ultimate page turns rule the day!
Congrats, your excellency! I think (paraphrasing) “My tone is celebratory but ready to tussle” would be great on a t-shirt.
Congratulations Mac, truly a perfect choice, and thanks for the great interview, Jon! We have just completed a writing exercise with fifth graders using picture books. The students had to identify a problem or conflict in the book and write about how it was resolved. They had the best time with the assignment, and some of their favorite book choices included Mac's Oh No! Not Again! and Jon's "Hat" series.
Congratulations!!! I did a pop up display in our library with both of your work, individual and collaborative, highlighting your ambassadorship and Jon’s wonderful new board books! Next week I’ll draft our proposal to bring you to our library…. Just saying…it’s in 🇮🇹. Not a bad place to rest during your whistle-stop tour! 😅🙏✨📚 🪄
Congratulations Mac! Your platform makes so much sense to me and is so powerful because honoring picture books = honoring kids. I would love it if we replaced pride in "growing out of picture books" with a love and respect for them. Behold the picture book!
I remember the excitement I felt when I knew the picture book was Mac’s focus. I think I saw it in Publishers Weekly, and then it led me here. Anyway, huge congratulations and way to go, Mac！
Congratulations! The perfect person for the job. I love that your campaign is focused on picture books. You work with some amazing artists! My third graders have gotten quite familiar with the names Mac Barnett and Jon Klassen along with several others this year!
Hooray for picture books! Congratulations!