00:00One of the nation's most loved storytellers, Sir Michael Maupurgo, has partnered with Great Western Railway for a campaign to
00:08secure traditional regional folklore and bring the myths and legends of the South West and Wales to a new audience.
00:16I think one's got to remember that reading doesn't belong just in the home and just in the classroom. Those
00:23are really important. The mum, the dad, the auntie, the grandpa reading those stories when they're very, very young and
00:30as young as possible. That's the best way to sow the seed.
00:33The next way to grow the plant is school, and that is the teacher. So if the teacher has the
00:40enthusiasm and the parent has the enthusiasm, then we will get children reading again.
00:46The author has championed reading and getting lost in a story as the best way for children to learn.
00:52That early, early sowing of the seed is so, so important. There's no good grumbling about it later on. What
00:59can the government do? Well, I can tell you.
01:01The government have promised, and I heard it with my own ears, that every school in this country, every primary
01:08school, will have a library by the end of their first term in office.
01:12They promised that. And it's about time. Because to be in the country of Shakespeare, of Tolkien, of Pullman, and
01:21have schools without libraries, what are we thinking of?
01:25So it's going to happen, and it'll happen soon.
01:28Marking the launch of the new volume, a statue of giants will be on display at Bristol's Templemead station.
01:34It comes from the story of two giant brothers, Gorham and Vincent, who accidentally carved the spectacular Avon Gorge whilst
01:41competing for the heart of the giantess Avona.
01:44It's mythology and legends, and that's what's lovely about a train. Where is this train going from?
01:48It's going from London down to the West Country, down to Wales. It's full of dragons and ghosts and goodness
01:55knows what down there.
01:56And it's wonderful to know all these tales, to realise that you're going to a place where there are lots
02:00and lots of stories to explore.
02:02That's what these statues are here, to illustrate.
02:05The former children's laureate, 82, has published a new original legend.
02:10The story is part of a newly reissued collection of myths titled The Line to Legendland, which features 11 classic
02:17legends.
02:18I don't think it's any good blaming phones or blaming iPads.
02:24They're a fact of life. There's a lot that's wonderful about them, and there's a lot that isn't.
02:29What's really important is that they don't miss out on reading, and I'll tell you why.
02:33I, as a teacher and a writer, I don't think there's any better way for a child to learn, for
02:44knowledge, and for inspiration and encouragement, than losing yourself in a story.
02:52And you can't do it quickly, quickly. It needs to be in rhythm with the writer's story.
Comments