I have lots of ideas. The problem for me has always been which one to do.

The inclination to believe in the fantastic may strike some as a failure in logic, or gullibility, but it’s really a gift. A world that might have Bigfoot and the Loch Ness Monster is clearly superior to one that definitely does not.

I've always thought of the book as a visual art form, and it should represent a single artistic idea, which it does if you write your own material.

At one time, most of my friends could hear the bell, but as years passed, it fell silent for all of them. Even Sarah found one Christmas that she could no longer hear its sweet sound. Though I've grown old, the bell still rings for me, as it does for all who truly believe.

I don't think ordinary things are very interesting, so I try to imagine a world that is less ordinary.

I think most people agree there is a component of skill in art making; you have to learn grammar before you learn how to write.

The Polar Express began with the idea of a train standing alone in the woods. I asked myself, What if a boy gets on that train? Where does he go?