WEBVTT

00:00:24.739 --> 00:00:26.571
Good afternoon, everybody.

00:00:26.571 --> 00:00:27.975
I am April.

00:00:28.765 --> 00:00:33.823
Eight years ago, I got the biggest
and best present ever, of my life.

00:00:34.293 --> 00:00:38.535
After reading me books every night
since I was about two,

00:00:38.535 --> 00:00:41.060
my mom opened a children's bookstore.

00:00:41.470 --> 00:00:45.243
I still remember the day
I stepped into the warm, lovely place,

00:00:45.973 --> 00:00:51.244
sunshine glowing on the bookshelves,
and I smelled the scent of books.

00:00:51.524 --> 00:00:54.051
And I still remember the happy moment

00:00:54.051 --> 00:00:57.221
my mom held me in her arms
and read me a book.

00:00:59.261 --> 00:01:02.709
"In an old house in Paris
That was covered with vines,

00:01:02.709 --> 00:01:06.499
Lived twelve little girls
In two straight lines."

00:01:07.989 --> 00:01:13.299
Time passed, and I grew from a little kid
who was often mistaken for a boy

00:01:13.299 --> 00:01:16.549
to a big girl standing
in front of you on this stage.

00:01:16.769 --> 00:01:20.320
However, the love of reading
has been kept unchanged,

00:01:20.320 --> 00:01:23.919
except that I don't suck my fingers
anymore while I'm reading.

00:01:24.729 --> 00:01:27.900
Having the freedom to read
and the freedom to choose

00:01:27.900 --> 00:01:30.949
is one of the best gifts
my mom ever gave me.

00:01:31.439 --> 00:01:35.339
Although running a bookstore is not always
a good choice for making money,

00:01:35.339 --> 00:01:38.380
mom never regrets quitting
her high-salary job

00:01:38.380 --> 00:01:41.190
and devoting herself
to the small bookstore.

00:01:41.190 --> 00:01:43.029
She is very proud of her work,

00:01:43.029 --> 00:01:46.781
that brings a passion for reading
to me and other children.

00:01:47.201 --> 00:01:51.349
Surrounded by books,
I am enthusiastic about reading.

00:01:51.349 --> 00:01:54.600
I bring a book with me wherever I go.

00:01:55.130 --> 00:01:57.998
I read in restaurants
while I'm waiting for a meal.

00:01:58.118 --> 00:02:00.779
I read in the metro on my way to school.

00:02:01.169 --> 00:02:03.768
I read every night before I go to sleep.

00:02:04.938 --> 00:02:07.290
To read is to voyage through time,

00:02:07.290 --> 00:02:10.318
to visit places you would
never otherwise know,

00:02:10.318 --> 00:02:14.808
to experience a world of imagination,
adventure, and discovery.

00:02:15.178 --> 00:02:17.628
Take Alice in Wonderland as an example.

00:02:18.128 --> 00:02:22.040
When I read that book,
I fell with Alice into her Wonderland.

00:02:22.400 --> 00:02:24.658
It's so weird, so visual.

00:02:25.198 --> 00:02:28.627
There, rabbits can talk,
playing cards can watch,

00:02:28.907 --> 00:02:30.861
and cats can vanish at will.

00:02:31.321 --> 00:02:33.009
As I read that book,

00:02:33.009 --> 00:02:35.760
my mind kept wanting
to return to Wonderland

00:02:35.760 --> 00:02:38.898
and experience all this nonsense again.

00:02:39.178 --> 00:02:40.858
So I drew this picture.

00:02:42.598 --> 00:02:44.449
I drew the Cheshire Cat,

00:02:44.449 --> 00:02:46.492
the Caterpillar on the giant mushroom,

00:02:46.492 --> 00:02:47.949
and the girl.

00:02:47.949 --> 00:02:50.381
I didn't know if the girl
was Alice or myself.

00:02:50.381 --> 00:02:53.001
I was too young when I drew that picture,

00:02:53.001 --> 00:02:54.138
but I really wished

00:02:54.138 --> 00:02:56.968
that I could've lived inside that book.

00:02:57.888 --> 00:03:00.699
So you can see in the book,

00:03:00.699 --> 00:03:05.620
bored Alice followed a rabbit
and tumbled down to Wonderland,

00:03:05.620 --> 00:03:07.200
whereas in the real world,

00:03:07.200 --> 00:03:11.039
a book can always lead you to escape
the boredom of everyday life

00:03:11.039 --> 00:03:13.017
and enter a magic world.

00:03:13.017 --> 00:03:14.398
For example,

00:03:14.398 --> 00:03:17.839
we can take the Magic School Bus
to explore the human body,

00:03:17.839 --> 00:03:22.031
or we can escape into nature
by reading Fabre's Book of Insects.

00:03:22.031 --> 00:03:25.649
We can even travel back
to ancient Greece or Rome

00:03:25.649 --> 00:03:28.008
in the series of Horrible Histories.

00:03:28.748 --> 00:03:30.229
With a book,

00:03:32.899 --> 00:03:35.905
we can go anywhere and be anything.

00:03:37.025 --> 00:03:40.191
Reading is also a good way for us
to connect with others.

00:03:40.191 --> 00:03:43.038
It's amazing how when you're reading
a book on a train,

00:03:43.038 --> 00:03:44.740
a stranger next to you says,

00:03:44.740 --> 00:03:46.827
"Hey, I love that book too."

00:03:46.837 --> 00:03:49.589
This is a true story between me and Yoyo.

00:03:49.589 --> 00:03:54.037
We then immediately started a discussion
about characters in that book.

00:03:54.757 --> 00:03:58.721
Yoyo's mom and my mom also found
that they had a lot in common.

00:03:58.721 --> 00:04:02.727
Last year, our families took
a trip to Singapore together.

00:04:03.347 --> 00:04:06.640
This is us on our first day in Singapore.

00:04:06.640 --> 00:04:09.858
We went to a big bookstore
and spent half a day there.

00:04:10.078 --> 00:04:11.898
This is not the only story.

00:04:11.898 --> 00:04:15.278
When I share fun "Did you know?"
book facts with my friends

00:04:15.278 --> 00:04:20.389
or help other readers my age
find the book that's just right for them,

00:04:20.389 --> 00:04:23.950
we build up relationships
and get to know each other better.

00:04:23.950 --> 00:04:27.860
Also, I believe that when parents
read to their children,

00:04:27.860 --> 00:04:30.918
it brings back good memories
from their own childhood.

00:04:30.918 --> 00:04:32.610
This is a strong relationship

00:04:32.610 --> 00:04:35.850
that can get rid of gaps
in between generations.

00:04:36.640 --> 00:04:39.468
Another amazing thing about reading is,

00:04:39.468 --> 00:04:40.551
when you're reading,

00:04:40.551 --> 00:04:44.119
in a way, you're engaging
in a conversation with the author.

00:04:45.139 --> 00:04:48.338
One of the authors
I admire very much is Bill Bryson,

00:04:48.338 --> 00:04:50.106
who is humorous and witty.

00:04:50.106 --> 00:04:54.209
When reading his great book
"A Short History of Nearly Everything,"

00:04:54.989 --> 00:04:59.759
I feel like I'm accompanying the author
as he travels through space and time,

00:04:59.759 --> 00:05:03.538
from the Big Bang
to the rise of civilization.

00:05:04.058 --> 00:05:06.988
His deep curiosity of the world we live in

00:05:06.988 --> 00:05:09.338
and encyclopedic knowledge of these topics

00:05:09.338 --> 00:05:11.199
impressed and touched me.

00:05:12.179 --> 00:05:14.688
Another beloved author is Roald Dahl,

00:05:14.688 --> 00:05:18.405
whose hilarious, breathtaking
books are so attractive

00:05:18.405 --> 00:05:21.689
that I don't even want the story to end.

00:05:21.689 --> 00:05:24.298
I have read all of his books for children,

00:05:24.298 --> 00:05:29.199
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,
The Witches, The BFG, and many others.

00:05:29.809 --> 00:05:33.436
When asked in an interview,
"How do you get your story ideas?"

00:05:33.436 --> 00:05:39.498
the author answered, "I always start
with a little seed of idea, a little germ.

00:05:39.498 --> 00:05:41.457
Every time I get a great idea,

00:05:41.457 --> 00:05:43.789
I would pull out a notebook
and write it down,

00:05:43.789 --> 00:05:46.168
or else it would disappear like a dream."

00:05:46.718 --> 00:05:49.628
These tips helped me a lot
when I first started writing.

00:05:49.628 --> 00:05:53.370
I use my idea notebook
to write down my seeds of ideas.

00:05:53.980 --> 00:05:57.118
And in the stories of The Minpins,
Roald Dahl told us,

00:05:58.188 --> 00:06:01.478
"Watch with glittering eyes
the whole world around you

00:06:01.478 --> 00:06:03.851
because the greatest secrets
are always hidden

00:06:03.851 --> 00:06:05.849
in the most unlikely places."

00:06:06.329 --> 00:06:08.909
I was inspired when I read this.

00:06:08.909 --> 00:06:12.908
I've taken it as advice
not only from the great author

00:06:12.908 --> 00:06:17.198
but also from a wise man
who had a keep insight into our world.

00:06:19.108 --> 00:06:23.208
Just like Roald Dahl's
character the BFG, Big Friendly Giant,

00:06:23.208 --> 00:06:27.348
whose job was to collect and blow
pleasant dreams to small children,

00:06:27.348 --> 00:06:31.427
Roald Dahl, Bill Bryson,
Sheldon Allan Silverstein,

00:06:31.427 --> 00:06:33.638
Dr. Seuss, and other writers,

00:06:33.638 --> 00:06:37.829
they had blown big dreams to me
and every other reader.

00:06:38.259 --> 00:06:42.359
I dreamed that, one day,
I can make magic of my own as an author,

00:06:42.359 --> 00:06:46.568
for myself, my friends,
my kids, and other children.

00:06:46.978 --> 00:06:51.678
Here, I want to share a poem
I wrote on a kite I made in an art class.

00:06:52.888 --> 00:06:55.267
Soaring above us like a bird

00:06:55.267 --> 00:06:57.498
Is a big, amazing kite.

00:06:57.498 --> 00:06:58.759
The wind is howling,

00:06:58.759 --> 00:07:00.089
Making it dance.

00:07:00.089 --> 00:07:01.838
What a beautiful sight!

00:07:02.148 --> 00:07:04.469
Yes, what a beautiful sight.

00:07:04.469 --> 00:07:09.218
But I know making this dream come true
will be a very long and slow process.

00:07:09.698 --> 00:07:12.328
I will keep on reading
and writing every day

00:07:12.328 --> 00:07:15.282
and, above all, keep watching
with glittering eyes

00:07:15.282 --> 00:07:18.349
the whole world around me,
just like Roald Dahl.

00:07:19.539 --> 00:07:21.768
And there's one thing I know for sure:

00:07:21.768 --> 00:07:24.260
reading will be a life-long love for me.

00:07:24.260 --> 00:07:27.933
I read because loving
one life is just not enough.

00:07:28.693 --> 00:07:31.908
Today I stand here to share
my reading stories with you

00:07:31.908 --> 00:07:35.401
because I believe that reading
can light up the whole world.

00:07:35.911 --> 00:07:40.015
So, why not surround yourself with books,

00:07:40.015 --> 00:07:41.788
sit down quietly,

00:07:41.788 --> 00:07:47.487
and enjoy the words, the pictures,
and how they fit together so beautifully.

00:07:48.557 --> 00:07:49.948
As an end of my speech,

00:07:49.948 --> 00:07:52.888
I would like to recite
one of my favorite poems.

00:07:54.138 --> 00:07:57.547
"No one believes a whole book
Could ever come

00:07:57.547 --> 00:08:00.708
From something as simple as butterflies,

00:08:00.708 --> 00:08:03.228
That don't even live that long.

00:08:03.758 --> 00:08:07.072
But on paper, things can live forever.

00:08:07.342 --> 00:08:10.558
On paper, a butterfly never dies."

00:08:10.908 --> 00:08:12.193
Thank you.

00:08:12.193 --> 00:08:14.519
(Applause)