I write the poems first, with only a few exceptions for odd reasons, where I'm given the illustration first.

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

I keep a guitar around while writing and will improvise music. I do this for several reasons, such as that it's fun, and sometimes it helps me with the meter.

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

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

A poet is not something you become; a poet is something you are.

I write the poems first, with only a few exceptions for odd reasons, where I'm given the illustration first.