Open Book: Children's literature special
Books and Authors
BBC
4.2 • 824 Ratings
🗓️ 25 November 2012
⏱️ 29 minutes
🧾️ Download transcript
Summary
Open Book is devoted to the joys of children's literature. Four Weddings and a Funeral screenwriter Richard Curtis explains why he's written his first children's book The Empty Stocking while Jeff Kinney explains the key to the success of runaway bestseller Diary of a Wimpy Kid. In the studio Mariella is joined by Lauren Child and Charlie Higson - who between them have brought us Ruby Redfort, the young James Bond, Charlie and Lola and zombies - and by children's book critic Amanda Craig. They discuss how literature remains vivid in this new digital world, the difficulties of buying books for different age groups, how The Hobbit remains a favourite and why children love to be scared by literature.
Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Hi, it's Nicola Cochlin. Young people have been making history for years, but we don't often hear about them. My brand new series on BBC Sounds sets out to put this right. In history's youngest heroes, I'll be revealing the fascinating stories of 12 young people who've played a major role in history and who've helped shape our world. Like Audrey Hepburn, Nelson Mandela, |
| 0:22.4 | Louis Braille and Lady Jane Grey, history's youngest heroes with me, Nicola Cochlin. Listen on BBC Sounds. |
| 0:30.3 | Just before this BBC podcast gets underway, here's something you may not know. My name's |
| 0:35.4 | Linda Davies, and I commissioned podcasts for BBC Sounds. |
| 0:38.8 | As you'd expect, at the BBC we make podcasts of the very highest quality, featuring the most |
| 0:44.0 | knowledgeable experts and genuinely engaging voices. What you may not know is that the BBC makes |
| 0:50.8 | podcasts about all kinds of things, like pop stars, poltergeists, cricket, and conspiracy theories. |
| 0:58.4 | And that's just a few examples. |
| 1:00.3 | If you'd like to discover something a little bit unexpected, |
| 1:03.4 | find your next podcast over at BBC Sounds. |
| 1:06.6 | This is a download from the BBC. |
| 1:08.7 | To find out more, visit BBC.com.ukuk slash radio four. |
| 1:14.8 | Hello, we devote today's program to the joys of children's literature. Whether you're a parent, a young reader, |
| 1:20.2 | or just desperate to rustle up some book suggestions for Christmas presents, today's program aims to provide you with enlightenment and possibly a shopping list. |
| 1:29.1 | We'll also be celebrating the 75th anniversary of Tolkien's much-loved classic The Hobbit |
| 1:33.7 | and quizzing Jeff Kinney on the key to the success of runaway bestseller diary of a wimpy kid, |
| 1:40.0 | a book he originally thought he'd written for adults. |
| 1:43.5 | Four weddings screenwriter Richard Curtis will be illuminating us on his empty stocking and worship of Roald Dahl. |
| 1:50.0 | And with the National Literacy Trust's recent survey, finding a decline in children reading outside of the classroom, |
| 1:56.5 | and nearly a fifth of kids claiming they'd be embarrassed if their friends saw them reading, |
| 2:01.2 | we'll be examining the state of children's literature |
| 2:03.7 | and asking how authors and publishers are confronting the expanding distractions of the modern digital world. |
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