The magical, whimsical wonderful world of children's books :)

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—INSPIRATION FROM CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

"If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear." —Winnie the Pooh

"If you know anything about fairy tales, then you know that a hero doesn't appear until the world really needs one." —The Tale of Despereaux

"All outward forms of religion are almost useless, and are the causes of endless strife. . . . Believe there is a great power silently working all things for good, behave yourself and never mind the rest." —Peter Rabbit

"Real isn't how you are made," said the Skin Horse. "It's a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real." —The Velveteen Rabbit

"Of all the delectable islands the Neverland is the snuggest and most compact, not large and sprawly, you know, with tedious distances between one adventure and another, but nicely crammed. When you play at it by day with the chairs and table-cloth, it is not in the least alarming, but in the two minutes before you go to sleep it becomes very nearly real. That is why there are night-lights." —Peter Pan

"Edward felt something damp in his ears. Abilene's tears, he supposed. He wished that she would not hold him so tight. To be clutched so fiercely often resulted in wrinkled clothing." —Edward Tulane

I've always believed that magic hides in special places. As a child, people often stared at my bright red hair (which was very, very bright indeed.) Unfortunately, I'd developed a bad habit of making up rhymes about all of them - they became funny characters and I didnt have much time to think about being different. Fanciful, lyrical verses danced in my head, no one was safe!

Since then, I've come to believe that children's verse has the power to inspire a deep love of language and learning. Words tripping off the tongue in somersaults, rhymes that stick to your thoughts like taffy--that's the essence of my award-winning books.

I've lived in lots of special places, on a farm, and in a big city skyscraper, on a tropical beach, and in the beautiful country of France. Now I live in northern California, between redwood trees and the sea, and I'm still as silly as ever.

Such nice things have been said of my books such as fun, engaging, delightful, whimsical. Some folks have said I deliver timeless messages of love that kids and parents share again and again. This really makes me very happy. I hope you enjoy my stories too. Captivating children with poetry is something I deeply believe and I live my life with this in mind, always.

—INSPIRATION FROM CHILDREN'S BOOKS:

"Sometimes, if you stand on the bottom rail of a bridge and lean over to watch the river slipping slowly away beneath you, you will suddenly know everything there is to be known." —Winnie the Pooh

"The spell was broken. My uncle learned to laugh, and I learned to cry. The secret garden is always open now. Open, and awake, and alive. If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden."—Mary Lennox, The Secret Garden

"Thank God I have the seeing eye, that is to say, as I lie in bed I can walk step by step on the fells and rough land seeing every stone and flower and patch of bog and cotton pass where my old legs will never take me again." —Peter Rabbit

"Why did you do all this for me?" he asked. "I don't deserve it. I've never done anything for you.'
You have been my friend,' replied Charlotte. 'That in itself is a tremendous thing."
—Charlotte, Charlotte's Web

"You see, when the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies." —Peter Pan

"I am the Lorax. I speak for the trees. I speak for the trees for the trees have no tongues." ―The Lorax

"A little nonsense, now and then, is relished by the wisest men" —Willy Wonka (and the chocolate factory)

"In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun." —Mary Poppins

"Isn't it splendid to think of all the things there are to find out about? It just makes me feel glad to be alive--it's such an interesting world. It wouldn't be half so interesting if we know all about everything, would it? There'd be no scope for imagination then, would there?" —Anne (of Green Gables)

"I am a Thing-Finder, and when you're a Thing-Finder, you don't have a minute to spare." —Pippi Longstocking

"I am looking for someone to share in an adventure that I am arranging, and it's very difficult to find anyone." —The Hobbit

"But the peach ... ah, yes ... the peach was a soft, stealthy traveller, making no noise at all as it floated along. And several times during that long silent night ride high up over the middle of the ocean in the moonlight, James and his friends saw things that no one had ever seen before." —James (and the Giant Peach)

"As much money and life as you could want! The two things most human beings would choose above all - the trouble is, humans do have a knack of choosing precisely those things that are worst for them." —Harry Potter

"I want to remember everything. And I want to know everything." —Harriet the Spy

"I wonder if I've been changed in the night? Let me think. Was I the same when I got up this morning? I almost think I can remember feeling a little different. But if I'm not the same, the next question is 'Who in the world am I?' Ah, that's the great puzzle!" —Alice (in Wonderland)

"Touched to the heart, Mrs. March could only stretch out her arms, as if to gather children and grandchildren to herself, and say, with face and voice full of motherly love, gratitude, and humility--'Oh, my girls, however long you may live, I never can wish you a greater happiness than this!" —Little Women

"A straight line is not the shortest distance between two points..." —A Wrinkle in Time

"If the witch understood the true meaning of sacrifice, she might have interpreted the Deep Magic differently, for when a willing victim who has committed no treachery, dies in a traitor's stead, the stone table will crack and even death itself will turn backwards." —The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe