My father could be very witty, even if the humor was always on the darker side of irony.

I would infinitely prefer a daughter.

And it's one of the sexiest things you will ever read of how slow you should take the peach. Don't rush it.

If I have an unusual gift, it's not that I draw particularly better than other people - I've never fooled myself about that. Rather it's that I remember things other people don't recall: the sounds and feelings and images - the emotional quality - of particular moments in childhood. Happily an essential part of myself - my dreaming life - still lives in the light of childhood.

I write books that seem more suitable for children, and that's OK with me. They are a better audience and tougher critics. Kids tell you what they think, not what they think they should think.

I stress character, character, character.

Emeralds,' said the rabbit. 'Emeralds make a lovely gift.