It is the child's understanding that teaches the adults the way of the future. They're still doing it today with modern technology.

I think there's something about studying a book which will kill it if you're not careful.

Characters are the key to a good book. It took me several novels to comprehend that.

I think people are more in contact now with the consequences of war than they've been for a very long time. And that's what amazes me when sometimes politicians seem to forget their history. They don't look and re-learn about what has happened before. Maybe they haven't got the memory, maybe they're already too young, but you can see how we become puffed up, and how we as a nation rise so quickly if we're not careful.

There is the myth that writing books for children is easier than writing books for grownups, whereas we know that truly great books for children are works of genius, whether it's 'Alice in Wonderland' or the 'Gruffalo' or 'Northern Lights.' When it's a great book, it's a great book, whether it's for children or not.

cause when there's life there's still hope

But try as I might, I never got to eat any of her pastries, and do you know, she never even offered me one.