Drawing is what you see of the world, truly see...And sometimes what you see is so deep in your head you're not even sure of what you're seeing. But when it's down there on paper, and you look at it, really look, you'll see the way things are...that's the world, isn't it? You have to keep looking to find the truth.

The reasons kids get into trouble in one way or another is because - Who ever told them they were special?

To me, family is everything. I want children to realize how important their families are and what a support system a family is.

If you have a friend, things are better than if you didn't have a friend.

What I think of sometimes, as I read the new books - do kids really need to see such a seamy side of life? I'm in the minority, such an old woman, perhaps. I love the books that have given kids joy, that give them hope at the end. Sometimes it seems to me the books right now are very depressive.

I loved teaching. It was my world. I only left because I was overwhelmed with three careers - teaching, writing, and my family.

I have no special talent, you know. I never took a writing course before I began to write.