Here’s Hank Authors Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver Visit Stevens Library

Henry Winkler and Lin Oliver, co-authors of the Here’s Hank series, which features a very clever second grader with dyslexia, came to Sacred Heart Schools, Atherton to meet with Kindergarten through third grade students. During the visit at Stevens Family Library, the pair shared about their inspiration to write the series, answered questions about the process of writing, and read an excerpt from the newly published 29th book in the series.

 

Winkler struggled with learning throughout his childhood and part of his adulthood; in his 30s, he finally learned what the underlying problem was: dyslexia. He set out to understand the disorder, educate others, and encourage young children struggling with any differences—all of which led to the development of a best-selling series of children’s books about the humorous adventures of Hank Zipzer, “the world’s greatest underachiever” who faces learning challenges. The books were printed using a special dyslexie font, a typeface designed specifically for the dyslexic brain to better comprehend.

 

Winkler and Oliver began writing the series 16 years ago. Today, 29 Zipzer books have been written by the pair and published in nine languages, and a television series based on the books ran three seasons on the BBC. Their final installment in the book series, Here’s Hank: Everybody is Somebody, came out this week.

 

Along with a writing career, Henry Winkler is an Emmy-winning actor, director, and producer, currently seen on the HBO series Barry. He has a star on Hollywood Boulevard, and the iconic leather jacket he wore as “The Fonz” on the television show Happy Days is displayed in the Smithsonian Museum in Washington, D.C. A longtime developer, producer, and writer for film and television, Lin Oliver is credited with three feature films and more than 300 episodes of television directed at the family audience, including Harry and the Hendersons and The Adventures of Corduroy the Bear. In addition to authoring 40 children’s books, Oliver is the co-founder and executive director for the international literary organization Society of Children’s Book Writers and Illustrators.

 

Click here for more information about the Here's Hank series.

 

See more photos from the event.

 

InMenlo covered the event, check out the article.