Henry Winkler talks to Long Island kids about ‘Hank Zipzer’
Actor and author Henry Winkler with Kidsday reporters, from left, Alexandra Piccoro, James Gribbin, Christopher Ruiz and Sara Hutzel. Credit: Newsday / Pat Mullooly
We were so lucky to have the opportunity to interview Henry Winkler recently at 30 Rock in Manhattan. He is famous for so many things including being an actor, producer and author. He is very excited about his latest project, which is creating a TV show out of his “Hank Zipzer” book series. The series is currently airing on Universal Kids.
This TV series is based on Henry’s book series and inspired by his true life experiences. The series follows the misadventures of Henry “Hank” Zipzer, a smart and resourceful 12-year-old schoolboy who has dyslexia and a unique perspective on the world. Henry also stars as Mr. Rock, a music teacher, on the show.
Below are some of our favorite topics that we discussed with Henry. Ali asked Henry about his difficulties with dyslexia. She asked him if he thought it would have made a difference to him as a kid if there was a Hank Zipzer book series that he could have read. Henry said it would have absolutely made him feel better because he would have had someone like himself to relate to and wouldn’t have felt so alone.
James was interested in the fact that Henry joined Boy Scouts and loved camping, but quit because he couldn’t follow the directions easily enough to tie knots. Henry still enjoys camping though!
Christopher has a friend who was just diagnosed with dyslexia and he asked Henry if he had any advice to share with his friend. Henry told Chris to tell his friend not to let the difficulties of school define him. He said to focus on the wonderful talents and qualities he has.
Sara brought her Hank book to be autographed and Henry’s inscription made her feel so good. He wrote, “Sara, you are so powerful!” She thought that was an amazing thing to write. Sara was also excited to see Henry do a quarter trick that he did in the movie “Waterboy.” Henry bit a quarter in half and put it back together again.
We thought Henry was the nicest man and he made us feel really comfortable. We can’t wait to watch his “Hank” TV show!