My greatest fear is being somewhere without a book.

I never work from an outline, and often I dont know how the story will end.

I think its important to remember where I began. I know that when I talk to other writers, say, writers from the South or writers from abroad, its where they begin as children that is important to them.

What is perfect? Journey, a thing doesn't have to be perfect to be fine. That goes for a picture. That goes for life....Things can be good enough.

All the world can be found in poetry. All you need to see and hear. All the moments, good and bad, joyous and sad.

In a way, my childhood was one long bunch of pages... I read and read and read.

I have to write what I can write, and writing the text of a picture book is like walking a tightrope, if you ramble off... As my friend Julius Lester says, A picture book is the essence of an experience.