At first glance, it may appear that Kate DiCamillo waltzed onto the children’s book scene and experienced nothing but success. Her first published novel, Because of Winn-Dixie, won a Newbery Honor in 2001. That book became a Hollywood film. In 2004 DiCamillo’s book, The Tale of Despereaux, received the coveted Newbery Medal. And in 2014, DiCamillo won a second Newbery Medal for her novel Flora and Ulysses. But Kate DiCamillo’s success did not happen overnight. For roughly a decade, before the public knew her name, DiCamillo worked odd jobs, submitted manuscripts, and collected nearly 400 rejection letters. “I decided a long time ago,” DiCamillo says, “that I didn’t have to be talented. I just had to be persistent.”
In January 2014, DiCamillo was named the fourth National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature for 2014–2015, by the Library of Congress. “Stories Connect Us” was the theme of her two-year platform as she tours the nation to promote reading.
