Henry Winkler is a huge Hollywood actor, producer and director. He’s most famous for a TV show called Happy Days but, now, he is the author of the best-selling children’s books Hank Zipzer, the World’s Greatest Underachiever. Hank, like Henry, is dyslexic and the books show how he uses his creativity and imagination to get round his learning challenges.

Henry and First News editor, Nicky Cox, will be doing their fourth tour of UK schools in October as part of their My Way! campaign, spreading the word that “HOW you learn is just as important as WHAT you learn.”

Why did you decide to write books for children?

When I was first asked to write books for children I said: “No, I can’t, because I’m dyslexic.” I have learning challenges. I was told I was stupid, lazy and not living up to my potential most of my life. And, when you’re younger and you’re told that, you believe it. It’s part of your self image. But I was introduced to Lin Oliver and, together, we hatched Hank Zipzer. “Hank” comes from my name, Henry, and “Zipzer” is a woman who lives on the fourth floor of the building that I grew up in. I thought it was zippy. I find it hard to write down the words so I walk round Lin’s rug and talk while she sits at the typewriter. And that’s how we write. If you find something hard, there is always someone who can help you out.

The books are funny. Where did you get your sense of humour?

I don’t know. From God. Lin is also funny. And, my children have learning challenges because it’s passed on, and Lin has a son who has a learning challenge. So we took the experience from everything that we knew. Hey, one out of five kids has some sort of learning challenge, right? So this kid is funny and he’s so smart and creative. In the first book he couldn’t write an essay about his summer vacation to the Niagara Falls so he made a model of it instead. You see, there is always more than one way to do something!

Like Horrid Henry, we think Hank Zipzer would make a great movie.

Well, you know, that would be terrific. The books certainly make kids laugh in the UK and in America.

What was it like for you at school growing up with dyslexia?

I am in the bottom 3% in the country of America in academics. That’s why the second book is called I got a D in Salami because I got a bad grade in everything but lunch. I was great at lunch! School was unbelievably hard for me. Teachers didn’t know what dyslexia was at that time. So I was labelled a trouble maker. I was the class clown.

They didn’t let me be in the school play because I had to have extra maths lessons. And I became an actor anyway! It’s so important that kids are allowed to find out what they’re good at and not treated all the same.

What would you say to children suffering with dyslexia or other learning difficulties at school nowadays?

All of you reading this have greatness inside you. And, it is your job to figure out what your particular gift is. Dig it out and give it to the world. Everybody has to understand that they DO have greatness in them. And the way that we learn – if we learn slowly, if it’s difficult – has no relation to our intelligence. Just because we learn differently, that does not mean that we are not incredibly smart human beings. That’s something I need every child to understand. Some people are academic, some are sporty, some are creative, some can act, some are good with their hands. All of these things should be celebrated equally.

As a young actor, was it difficult for you to read lines at auditions and learn lines?

Yes. It was not only difficult for me as a young actor, it’s difficult for me as an actor today. Reading is very hard. My eyes, somehow, don’t track the page really well. Reading out loud, especially in auditions, was like climbing Mount Everest with no clothes on!

Can’t you get those coloured sheets that go over the words to make it easier?

Do you know what? Those sheets didn’t exist when I was at school – they’re like different colours, right? There are so many things now that are helpful but, when I auditioned, I used to improvise. I would read it, instantly memorise it – or as much of it as I could – and I would make up the rest.

Are you looking forward to your next My Way! tour in October and where are you going?

I can’t wait. We have the best time. This will be the fourth time I’ve visited schools across the UK. We’ve been to England, Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland and Ireland. This time I think we’re going south and west because we’ve not been down towards Devon and Cornwall yet. And, you know what, kids in Britain are the same as those in America. The only thing that is different is some of the words they use and their accent. But, from what I have seen from the children in the UK, every one of you is spectacular. Every one of you is different and, yet, we are all the same.

uDraw are the sponsors of your My Way! tour with First News. How did that come about?

uDraw is the perfect partner for us. Firstly, they’re very lovely people. But, secondly, uDraw is exactly the sort of thing I’m talking about. It’s a new way of discovering the creativity inside you. I have a great friend, Alfie, who is 11 who has dyslexia. Alfie has been very involved in the My Way! campaign in Britain. So he’s got a uDraw and, although he finds it hard to write, you should see the creative stuff he’s done with a uDraw in his hands. It works with a Nintendo Wii and I think there are new versions coming out for other consoles very soon. If you draw something you don’t like, you can just click to undo your last stroke. And, when you’re finished, you can watch your whole drawing being created from start to finish like a video. It’s just great.