If there is anything that I think I might use later, I underline it.

Fairy tales dont tell you that dragons are real, but that they can be defeated!

I never want to be a role model.

What would make me happiest is if kids read these books [Bink & Gollie] and think: there is so much to love in the world; and words are so much fun.

I journal for about half an hour, and by the time that's done, the business day on the East Coast has begun. The phone starts to ring, and the rest of the day is spent dealing with the business of writing. My workday is done at about 3:00.

I have done quite a few signings at bookstores, libraries and conferences. I have received phone calls and letters from people who liked the book.

If memory serves me correctly, and it doesn't always, Kate [DiCamillo] and I met in the fall of 2001 at the former Figlio's restaurant in Minneapolis. We were laughing within a minute of meeting - always a good sign.