Gary Paulsen Talks About Reading and Writing

Gary Paulsen's book, Hatchet was the first book that I willingly and eagerly read from cover to cover when I was in elementary school. It filled my suburban child mind with great thoughts of adventure and a little virtual escape at a time when my own parents were going through divorce. The book meant and still means a lot to me. That's why I was sad to learn of Gary Paulsen's passing earlier this week.

After learning of Gary Paulsen's death I went looking for more stories about him. In doing so I came across this nice video produced by Random House Kids. The short video was released in 2010 and it features some poignant moments of Mr. Paulsen talking about his life and his work. Librarians may be especially pleased to hear him talk about how he was inspired to read. 

If you enjoyed Gary Paulsen's books the way that I did, spend a few minutes watching the video. I think you'll like it.