Mere days before the announcement of the new children's book ambassador, speculation was still running wild. However, when the Library of Congress introduced Katherine Paterson as the new kids' book ambassador on January 5, the choice was greeted with unrivaled enthusiasm. A two-time winner of the Newbery Medal (for "Bridge to Terabithia" and "Jacob Have I Loved") and the National Book Award (for "The Master Puppeteer" and "The Great Gilly Hopkins"), Paterson has won almost every award a children's book writer can win--and not just here in the United States. She's one of only four Americans to nab the Hans Christian Andersen Medal, an international honor that recognizes an author's or illustrator's lifetime achievements. In 2006, she took home Sweden's Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award, which aims to give kids' books the same esteem as works recognized by the Nobel prize. Paterson is known throughout the world for her unwavering commitment to children and to children's literature. Despite her accomplishments, the 77-year-old Paterson remains a very down-to-earth woman whose easy conversational style is frequently punctuated with laughter. This article features a brief conversation with Paterson on her new role, her life as a writer, and her latest novel, "The Day of the Pelican," which tells the story of a refugee family from Kosovo.