The power of reading | April Qu | TEDxYouth@Suzhou

Why not surround yourself with books, sit down quietly, and enjoy the words, the pictures, and how they fit together so beautifully? Learn about reading from an eleven-year-old girl.

This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at http://ted.com/tedx

Good afternoon, everybody.

I am April.

Eight years ago, I got the biggest
and best present ever, of my life.

After reading me books every night
since I was about two,

my mom opened a children's bookstore.

I still remember the day
I stepped into the warm, lovely place,

sunshine glowing on the bookshelves,
and I smelled the scent of books.

And I still remember the happy moment

my mom held me in her arms
and read me a book.

"In an old house in Paris
That was covered with vines,

Lived twelve little girls
In two straight lines."

Time passed, and I grew from a little kid
who was often mistaken for a boy

to a big girl standing
in front of you on this stage.

However, the love of reading
has been kept unchanged,

except that I don't suck my fingers
anymore while I'm reading.

Having the freedom to read
and the freedom to choose

is one of the best gifts
my mom ever gave me.

Although running a bookstore is not always
a good choice for making money,

mom never regrets quitting
her high-salary job

and devoting herself
to the small bookstore.

She is very proud of her work,

that brings a passion for reading
to me and other children.

Surrounded by books,
I am enthusiastic about reading.

I bring a book with me wherever I go.

I read in restaurants
while I'm waiting for a meal.

I read in the metro on my way to school.

I read every night before I go to sleep.

To read is to voyage through time,

to visit places you would
never otherwise know,

to experience a world of imagination,
adventure, and discovery.

Take Alice in Wonderland as an example.

When I read that book,
I fell with Alice into her Wonderland.

It's so weird, so visual.

There, rabbits can talk,
playing cards can watch,

and cats can vanish at will.

As I read that book,

my mind kept wanting
to return to Wonderland

and experience all this nonsense again.

So I drew this picture.

I drew the Cheshire Cat,

the Caterpillar on the giant mushroom,

and the girl.

I didn't know if the girl
was Alice or myself.

I was too young when I drew that picture,

but I really wished

that I could've lived inside that book.

So you can see in the book,

bored Alice followed a rabbit
and tumbled down to Wonderland,

whereas in the real world,

a book can always lead you to escape
the boredom of everyday life

and enter a magic world.

For example,

we can take the Magic School Bus
to explore the human body,

or we can escape into nature
by reading Fabre's Book of Insects.

We can even travel back
to ancient Greece or Rome

in the series of Horrible Histories.

With a book,

we can go anywhere and be anything.

Reading is also a good way for us
to connect with others.

It's amazing how when you're reading
a book on a train,

a stranger next to you says,

"Hey, I love that book too."

This is a true story between me and Yoyo.

We then immediately started a discussion
about characters in that book.

Yoyo's mom and my mom also found
that they had a lot in common.

Last year, our families took
a trip to Singapore together.

This is us on our first day in Singapore.

We went to a big bookstore
and spent half a day there.

This is not the only story.

When I share fun "Did you know?"
book facts with my friends

or help other readers my age
find the book that's just right for them,

we build up relationships
and get to know each other better.

Also, I believe that when parents
read to their children,

it brings back good memories
from their own childhood.

This is a strong relationship

that can get rid of gaps
in between generations.

Another amazing thing about reading is,

when you're reading,

in a way, you're engaging
in a conversation with the author.

One of the authors
I admire very much is Bill Bryson,

who is humorous and witty.

When reading his great book
"A Short History of Nearly Everything,"

I feel like I'm accompanying the author
as he travels through space and time,

from the Big Bang
to the rise of civilization.

His deep curiosity of the world we live in

and encyclopedic knowledge of these topics

impressed and touched me.

Another beloved author is Roald Dahl,

whose hilarious, breathtaking
books are so attractive

that I don't even want the story to end.

I have read all of his books for children,

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,
The Witches, The BFG, and many others.

When asked in an interview,
"How do you get your story ideas?"

the author answered, "I always start
with a little seed of idea, a little germ.

Every time I get a great idea,

I would pull out a notebook
and write it down,

or else it would disappear like a dream."

These tips helped me a lot
when I first started writing.

I use my idea notebook
to write down my seeds of ideas.

And in the stories of The Minpins,
Roald Dahl told us,

"Watch with glittering eyes
the whole world around you

because the greatest secrets
are always hidden

in the most unlikely places."

I was inspired when I read this.

I've taken it as advice
not only from the great author

but also from a wise man
who had a keep insight into our world.

Just like Roald Dahl's
character the BFG, Big Friendly Giant,

whose job was to collect and blow
pleasant dreams to small children,

Roald Dahl, Bill Bryson,
Sheldon Allan Silverstein,

Dr. Seuss, and other writers,

they had blown big dreams to me
and every other reader.

I dreamed that, one day,
I can make magic of my own as an author,

for myself, my friends,
my kids, and other children.

Here, I want to share a poem
I wrote on a kite I made in an art class.

Soaring above us like a bird

Is a big, amazing kite.

The wind is howling,

Making it dance.

What a beautiful sight!

Yes, what a beautiful sight.

But I know making this dream come true
will be a very long and slow process.

I will keep on reading
and writing every day

and, above all, keep watching
with glittering eyes

the whole world around me,
just like Roald Dahl.

And there's one thing I know for sure:

reading will be a life-long love for me.

I read because loving
one life is just not enough.

Today I stand here to share
my reading stories with you

because I believe that reading
can light up the whole world.

So, why not surround yourself with books,

sit down quietly,

and enjoy the words, the pictures,
and how they fit together so beautifully.

As an end of my speech,

I would like to recite
one of my favorite poems.

"No one believes a whole book
Could ever come

From something as simple as butterflies,

That don't even live that long.

But on paper, things can live forever.

On paper, a butterfly never dies."

Thank you.

(Applause)