Understand, I had absolutely no interest in writing; I wanted to be a Writer.

On the return flight from my mother in Florida , I sat next to a businessman who asked me what I did for a living. I said, "I write," and it seemed totally ridiculous in the face of what had just happened. I mean, I couldn't think of anything more pointless than telling stories. He asked, "What do you write?" I said, "I write children books."

I want to remind people of the great and profound joy that can be found in stories, and that stories can connect us to each other, and that reading together changes everybody involved.

I read my books out loud to myself because of the demands of the story and demands of language.

I was a kid who lived to read. It was the primary pleasure of my existence. It's still one of the primary pleasures of my existence. It's where I draw my sustenance.

When you are a king, you may make as many ridiculous laws as you like. That is what being a king is all about.

We must ask ourselves these questions as often as we dare. How will the world change if we do not question it?