Mac Barnett was named the 2025-26 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress. He's the author of more than sixty books for children, including Sam & Dave Dig a Hole, illustrated by Jon Klassen, which won a Caldecott Honor and the E. B. White Read Aloud Award. Mac's books include the First Cat in Space graphic novels and the picture book A Polar Bear in the Snow, all illustrated by Shawn Harris. He lives in Oakland, California.