0:00:22 > 0:00:26This is the book which inspired me to become a writer.
0:00:26 > 0:00:29It's called The Book Of 1,000 Poems
0:00:29 > 0:00:34and it was given to me by my father when I was just five years old.
0:00:34 > 0:00:39Now that I'm the Children's Laureate, it's my job to inspire children.
0:00:39 > 0:00:44I want them to act, to write, to sing,
0:00:44 > 0:00:47but, of course, above all, I want them to read,
0:00:47 > 0:00:50and to become lifelong readers.
0:00:50 > 0:00:53A book is like a magic carpet -
0:00:53 > 0:00:56it can take you anywhere and to any time.
0:00:56 > 0:01:02Books take us into different worlds and, even more amazingly, into different minds,
0:01:02 > 0:01:06into the minds of the authors and the characters they create,
0:01:06 > 0:01:11and you find yourself identifying with people completely different from yourself,
0:01:11 > 0:01:16people with different beliefs, different backgrounds, races, ages,
0:01:16 > 0:01:19even people who support different football teams,
0:01:19 > 0:01:24but perhaps the most marvellous thing is when you discover YOURSELF in a book.
0:01:24 > 0:01:28- "They feel just the way- I- do," you say to yourself,
0:01:28 > 0:01:31and it makes you feel less alone.
0:01:31 > 0:01:37I want everyone, children and adults, to be readers,
0:01:37 > 0:01:42but, sadly, one person in six in the UK struggles with reading and writing.
0:01:42 > 0:01:47Poor literacy is linked with poverty and inequality,
0:01:47 > 0:01:50with perhaps the most telling statistic being
0:01:50 > 0:01:54that almost half the prison population is illiterate.
0:01:54 > 0:02:01So, maybe 2012 would be a good year to help someone become a reader.
0:02:01 > 0:02:05You could start by reading to a child - that's great fun.
0:02:05 > 0:02:11And children, just like adults, need to discover their own tastes in books,
0:02:11 > 0:02:14and the best place to do that is the local library -
0:02:14 > 0:02:18there you can ransack the shelves and rummage in the boxes,
0:02:18 > 0:02:20borrow the books for free
0:02:20 > 0:02:27and even very little children can go to the great Bookbug Rhymetime sessions they have in most libraries,
0:02:27 > 0:02:30where they can enjoy doing the actions
0:02:30 > 0:02:33and listening to the rhythms and the sounds of the words,
0:02:33 > 0:02:36even before they can talk.
0:02:36 > 0:02:38You can maybe help adults with their reading.
0:02:38 > 0:02:41Perhaps you could enrol to become a literacy tutor
0:02:41 > 0:02:46or you could read a book or a newspaper to someone who's blind,
0:02:46 > 0:02:48or someone in a care home.
0:02:48 > 0:02:51Where do you find out about opportunities like that?
0:02:51 > 0:02:55Well, the best place is to go back to your local library
0:02:55 > 0:03:00and, while you're there, don't forget to take out a couple of books for yourself.
0:03:00 > 0:03:03I started off talking about the book which inspired me,
0:03:03 > 0:03:05The Book Of 1,000 Poems,
0:03:05 > 0:03:08and I'm going to finish off with a poem which I wrote,
0:03:08 > 0:03:13which, I hope, sums up my enthusiasm for reading.
0:03:15 > 0:03:18I opened a book and in I strode
0:03:18 > 0:03:20Now nobody can find me
0:03:20 > 0:03:23I've left my chair, my house, my road
0:03:23 > 0:03:26My town and my world behind me
0:03:26 > 0:03:28I'm wearing the cloak
0:03:28 > 0:03:30I've slipped on the ring
0:03:30 > 0:03:31I've swallowed the magic potion
0:03:31 > 0:03:34I fought with a dragon
0:03:34 > 0:03:35Dined with a king
0:03:35 > 0:03:38And dived in a bottomless ocean
0:03:38 > 0:03:41I opened a book and made some friends
0:03:41 > 0:03:43I shared their tears and laughter
0:03:43 > 0:03:46And followed their road with its bumps and bends
0:03:46 > 0:03:49To the happily ever after
0:03:49 > 0:03:52I finished my book and out I came
0:03:52 > 0:03:54The cloak can no longer hide me
0:03:54 > 0:03:59My chair and my house are just the same
0:03:59 > 0:04:02But I have a book inside me.
0:04:02 > 0:04:04Subtitles by Red Bee Media Ltd
0:04:04 > 0:04:06E-mail subtitling@bbc.co.uk