I think that my favourite animal is a baby possum, or a joey. The face of a really little joey is so divine - so, so gorgeous.

Writing a picture book is like writing 'War and Peace' in Haiku.

The fire of literacy is created by the emotional sparks between a child, a book, and the person reading.

Putting babies as young as two weeks into child care for the first year of their life, for 60 hours a week, will cause their brains damage.

If you are not a writer, you will not understand the difficulties of writing. If you are not a writer, you will not know the fears and hopes of the writers you teach.

I have very little patience with children.

My mother was a very difficult woman to please. She was the sort of woman who thought that if I were praised I would get above myself.