About Me
When I was young, I loved reading, gardening, going to the beach, riding horses, getting presents, and … cake.
I still do.
As you can see, when I was in school, I wore the worst clothes and hairdos humanly possible.
I make better clothing choices now, although my hair continues to be a problem.
As I grew, I became very tall and very shy.
I loved books and I loved art – books and art didn’t care that I was really tall or really shy. So I drew and painted and did mosaics and carved things (for a couple of years, I spent my whole allowance on bars of Ivory soap – great for carving!) and I read and made up stories.
Even today, I am happiest reading, writing, gardening or making art.
These days, I split my time between Florida, California, and Massachusetts, where I feel lucky to be able to write every day. I enjoy other things as well, like: bird-watching, raising orchids, bothering my kids even though they are grown-ups now, and … pie.
I am the author of twenty-seven children’s books, including The Lions’ Run; the New York Times best-selling Pax and Pax Journey Home; Leeva At Last; Here in the Real World; the Clementine series; the Waylon series; Summer of the Gypsy Moths; Pierre in Love; Sparrow Girl; Meet the Dullards; and The Amazing World of Stuart. I have also contributed four books to the venerable Flat Stanley series. My newest novel, Big Cheese, will come out in 2028.
My books have won numerous awards, including a Golden Kite Award and a Christopher’s Medal, many children’s choice state awards, and have appeared on many ‘Best Books’ lists.
Some Common Questions and Responses
Do you brush your hair?
Of course I brush my hair. But my hair’s natural desire to be messy is more powerful than any brush.
Where do you get your ideas?
Everywhere. Seriously. And that’s a problem! Wherever I am, I find myself noticing someone doing something, and then imagining it going very, very wrong. That’s how I build a story: imagining things going wrong for a character. So I could be in a grocery store, see someone buying tuna fish, and then imagine a story where the tuna in the can is still actually alive and hungry, so…well, you can see that most of these ideas aren’t going to make good books. I have to choose the very best ones. But you can try it, too: imagine a situation, then imagine it going wrong for your characters, then figure out how to get them out of it. And fill your story with things that interest you.
Do you have any kids?
Yep, a boy and a girl. They’re grown-ups now, but when they were kids they were nutballs.
What’s your favorite writing snack?
Well, I always keep some dark chocolate in my desk drawer – that’s just a daily need. Then I go through snack-phases: gingersnaps, mangos chunks with lime juice, popcorn…right now it’s cinnamon raisin toast.
How long does it take to write a book?
It depends. Picture books can take only a few months, but novels usually take a couple of years, even more if I need to research. Sounds like a long time, right? That’s because I revise so much. I need to make every sentence as perfect as it can be. I probably spend ten hours rewriting for every hour I spend writing.
Do you have a special writing outfit?
Usually pajamas, nice and comfy. But I swim almost every day, and when I swim, I’m always writing, too. (Writing doesn’t just happen at a desk, you know! Most of writing is thinking, and I find that I think well when I’m swimming.) So I guess you could say I wear a bathing suit to work in also. Pajamas and bathing suits – writing is a really good job!
Why do you write for kids?
Oh, boy. That questions is a little like asking me why I breathe air. I write because I need to do it, because it challenges and satisfies me, and because I’m pretty good at it. It feels like what I’m meant to do. The reason I write for kids is that they’re the best audience—they read more than grown-ups, and they love books more. Writing for people who care so much makes me want to do my best.
What was your favorite book as a kid?
I loved to read, just loved it. Black Beauty, Robinson Crusoe, The Borrowers, and Old Yeller were some favorites. I also remember loving MAD magazine – when each month’s issue came, I’d run up to my room and devour it before my brothers could get hold of it. Maybe the book I remember most was Heidi. I was so obsessed with Heidi that I begged my parents to let me sleep in the attic on hay (they said NO) and to eat only goat cheese and bread (they said NO) and to have a goat (amazingly, they said YES to that!)
How old are you?
Why do you always want to know that??? I’m a little older than The Cat in the Hat, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.
Do you have any advice for people who want to write?
Read. Read, read, read, read, read. When you find a book you really love, read it again and try to figure out how the author gripped you.
Do you have any favorite words?
I do! I love “chandelier” and “hoity-toity” and “giclee” (pronounced zhee-klay, it’s a type of printmaking process.) I love made-up words, too. I once heard someone use the word “bloopy” and I thought it was so great I put it in a picture book. (I asked his permission first, of course.) And for the final Clementine I made up a new word—”glozzled”—for how you feel when you see someone you’re in love with. Words are supposed to sound good, look good on the page, and express something. I have lots of favorites, and they change all the time, like my snack phases.