Since I spend such a long time making each book, I only choose books that I'm really interested in and that I really love.

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.

My house had suddenly turned into a hospital ward.

It's fun to see how other artists adapt my work.

Maybe that's why a broken machine always makes me a little sad, because it isn't able to do what it was meant to do...Maybe it's the same with people," Hugo continued. "If you lose your purpose...it's like you're broken.

I like to imagine that the world is one big machine. You know, machines never have any extra parts. They have the exact number and type of parts they need. So I figure if the entire world is a big machine, I have to be here for some reason. And that means you have to be here for some reason, too.

I majored in illustration at the Rhode Island School of Design, although I never had any intention of being an illustrator and didn't take any classes in illustration there. It was just that the illustration degree had no requirements.