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

Many times in my life I've been upset about something and said to myself, "Will this matter in two years?" Not even in two months.

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

When I sit and talk with a person, I'm not always paying attention. I'm looking at the person and saying, 'What is it about his or her life that appeals to me?

Everything in my life affects my writing. There are no separate parts of my life.

I want to see children curled up with books, finding an awareness of themselves as they discover other people's thoughts. I want them to make the connection that books are people's stories, that writing is talking on paper, and I want them to write their own stories. I'd like my books to provide that connection for them.

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.