TED Talk: Why a Good Book is a Secret Door

Mac Barnett, a children's book author, delivered this TED talk in 2014 about the importance of fiction and imagination in a child's life. He begins his talk with an interesting first line that immediately grabs the attention of the audience. He introduces himself as a man with a career that involves lying to children. This opening statement successfully hooks the audience and sets the whole tone for the rest of the TED talk. He then begins explaining his main point he will be presenting throughout the entirety of his speech which is that it is very important to find truth in art, especially as a child. This TED talk is very entertaining due to Mac's comfort in front of a crowd. He constantly engages the audience in laughter with his colorful stories about working with kids as a camp counselor. During his time working at this summer camp, Mac entertained the children with his whimsical stories of his time spent spying for the Queen of England and other imaginary adventures he has embarked on. Mac truly believes in helping children find some truth in fiction that he even went as far to stash a cantaloupe in a garden to follow through with some of his stories. 

                  Above is a quote Mac used to introduce his main idea of the potential truth that can be found in art. 

My favorite part of this TED talk though were Mac's stories about his interest in secret doors and how he managed to incorporate these entrances to other worlds into his career. He is very passionate about tutoring children and assisting them with their reading skills so it only makes sense that he continued on into a career surrounding these interests. The first place he worked at was a pirate souvenir shop that led into a tutoring program through a "secret door". Mac described some of the merchandise to further emphasize this idea of an imaginary world. He explained the importance of having children walk through this whimsical setting on their way to study sessions because it really opens their minds to the idea that anything is possible. Reading fiction and telling stories about imaginary worlds allows children to express themselves by escaping into another life while still having a way to find truth in the lies. 

I chose this TED Talk because it discussed some of the similar interests as the Carnegie Center. This talk expressed the importance of books in a child's life which is something the Carnegie Center really focuses on with their work. The Carnegie Center offers similar services to those Mac describes in his talk which really caught my attention when I was listening. Both are equally interested in educating children in the importance of reading and engaging their imaginations whenever possible.


Mac did a wonderful job of connecting with his audience and conveying his idea in a practical, entertaining way. He was very comfortable in the crowd and confidently delivered his message. Although it was a rather long one, I thoroughly enjoyed this TED Talk.