Children seem naturally drawn to poetry - it's some combination of the rhyme, rhythm, and the words themselves.

Frankly, writing poetry for children is plain old fun, and I consider myself blessed to have such a delightful career.

Otherwise I don't read much adult poetry at all, because I'm not smart enough and mostly I don't get it.

The BALLPOINT PENGUINS, black and white, Do little else but write and write. Although they've nothing much to say, They write and write it anyway.

I look for poetry in English because it's the only language I read.

I've been influenced by poets as diverse as Dylan Thomas, Lewis Carroll, and Edgar Allan Poe.

Writing gives me the opportunity to explore ideas, play with language, solve problems, use my imagination, and draw on my own childhood.