I think from an early age I was aware of how a camera can tell a story, how a movie camera can affect how the narrative is told.

I love illustrating for other writers because I am given stories I never would have thought of, and my work as an illustrator is always in support of the story.

My house had suddenly turned into a hospital ward.

Time can play all sorts of tricks on you. In the blink of an eye, babies appear in carriages, coffins disappear into the ground, wars are won and lost, and children transform, like butterflies, into adults.

Once I'm given an idea for a story I have a million ideas on how it should be illustrated, but I don't have a big shoebox full of unfinished ideas.

I guess I see a part of myself in everyone I write about. I tend to write about kids who are obsessed with something, and even though I have never been good with machines the way Hugo is, I did love miniature things when I was a kid.

Maybe we're all cabinets of wonders.