What do Sherlock Holmes, a childhood copy of The Wind in the Willows and a late-night reading habit have to do with becoming a space scientist?In the first episode of The Joy of Books, from the National Literacy Trust, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock shares the stories that sparked her imagination, offered an escape during a difficult childhood and helped her dream big.From discovering Heidi while struggling with undiagnosed dyslexia to getting lost in science fiction, Maggie explores how books opened up new worlds—and why creativity is just as important in science as it is in storytelling. She also recalls reading by torchlight at boarding school, bringing bedtime stories enthusiastically to life for her daughter, and sharing her love of the Moon with Tom Hanks.Along the way, Maggie reveals the treasured book she’d take into space, the poetry that inspires her and the novel she thinks every adult should read.
