Why a good book is a secret door | Mac Barnett

Why a good book is a secret door | Mac Barnett

Author: TED September 17, 2014 Duration: 16:50
Childhood is surreal. Why shouldn't children's books be? In this whimsical talk, award-winning author Mac Barnett speaks about writing that escapes the page, art as a doorway to wonder -- and what real kids say to a fictional whale.

Curiosity doesn't have an age limit, and some of the most profound ideas are the ones that spark a sense of wonder in everyone. TED Talks Kids and Family gathers those particular talks that resonate across generations, featuring the world's leading thinkers and doers from TED conferences and events worldwide. This podcast brings you audio from talks that are especially engaging for young minds and perfect for family listening, turning car rides or quiet moments into opportunities for shared discovery. You'll hear stories and explanations that tackle big questions with clarity, celebrate creativity in all its forms, and reveal the fascinating details of science, art, and the human experience in ways that are accessible and exciting. Each episode is chosen to inspire, intrigue, and stir the imagination, proving that powerful ideas are for everyone. It’s a collection that reminds us that learning is a lifelong adventure, and some conversations are best enjoyed together. TED, the nonprofit behind this podcast, is devoted to Ideas Worth Spreading, and this curated selection focuses on those ideas that ignite a lifelong love of learning in listeners of all ages.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 47

TED Talks Kids and Family
Podcast Episodes
What we can learn from galaxies far, far away | Henry Lin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 6:29
In a fun, exciting talk, teenager Henry Lin looks at something unexpected in the sky: distant galaxy clusters. By studying the properties of the universe's largest pieces, says the Intel Science Fair award winner, we can…
Want to be an activist? Start with your toys | McKenna Pope [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:08
McKenna Pope's younger brother loved to cook, but he worried about using an Easy-Bake Oven -- because it was a toy for girls. So at age 13, Pope started an online petition for the American toy company Hasbro to change th…
How I beat stage fright | Joe Kowan [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:50
Humanity's fine-tuned sense of fear served us well as a young species, giving us laser focus to avoid being eaten by competing beasts. But it's less wonderful when that same visceral, body-hijacking sense of fear kicks i…
My glacier cave discoveries | Eddy Cartaya [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:48
Snow Dragon. Pure Imagination. Frozen Minotaur. These are the names Eddy Cartaya and his climbing partner Brent McGregor gave three glacier caves that they were the first to explore. As the Sandy Glacier slowly slides do…
Massively multi-player… thumb-wrestling? | Jane McGonigal [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 7:04
What happens when you get an entire audience to stand up and connect with one another? Chaos, that's what. At least, that's what happened when Jane McGonigal tried to teach TED to play her favorite game. Then again, when…
The art of misdirection | Apollo Robbins [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 8:33
Hailed as the greatest pickpocket in the world, Apollo Robbins studies the quirks of human behavior as he steals your watch. In a hilarious demonstration, Robbins samples the buffet of the TEDGlobal 2013 audience, showin…
How a penny made me feel like a millionaire | Tania Luna [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 5:18
As a young child, Tania Luna left her home in post-Chernobyl Ukraine to take asylum in the US. And one day, on the floor of the New York homeless shelter where she and her family lived, she found a penny. She has never a…
Hack a banana, make a keyboard! | Jay Silver [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 13:01
Why can't two slices of pizza be used as a slide clicker? Why shouldn't you make music with ketchup? In this charming talk, inventor Jay Silver talks about the urge to play with the world around you. He shares some of hi…