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If you need some personal information to add to your book report, I hope you'll find it here.
What was the first book you remember reading, or being read to you,
as a child?
- I distinctly remember Run, Spot, Run and Dick and Jane, and I remember wondering why this was important.
- Later on, I read The Five Little Peppers and How They Grew, and realized this was the answer to that question about Dick and Jane.
What was your favorite book as a child?
I loved Eloise. We had a lot in common, including a dog and a turtle.
Where did you grow up?
I was born in Springfield, Illinois, and lived there until my early teens. I traveled quite a bit, because my father did. When he settled in New York City, I moved there to live with his family.
What were your hobbies?
- I had a big interest in nature, animals, from early on. I always thought I'd like to be a vet.
- But I took up art, the last refuge of the poor student. The homework interested me, I would do it two or three times to get it right.
- And I went back to reading once the homework was done. Reading was my escape and was my real interest.
Did you want to grow up to be a writer?
I never thought of it in that way. I just did it. First by telling myself stories, and then by telling them to other people, and finally, when I was around twelve, it occurred to me to write them down.
Where do you get your ideas?
I notice the way somebody moves, the way people treat each other in moments when they think no one is looking or don't care what anyone thinks.
What do you wear when you write?
Flannel pajama bottoms and a sweatshirt, because that's the most comfortable thing there is. When I'm in a hurry to mail a book, I go right out to the post office dressed this way.
Who reads your work first?
My husband. He's my biggest fan.
Do you have writing dreads?
When I'm writing I don't like anyone to ask, what's for lunch? Or, did you know this stack of library books is nine days overdue? Are you going to be finished soon (pretty much the equivalent of 'are we there yet')?
Everybody has to deal with those questions though, and the truth of the matter is, in a pinch, I can write in the car while I'm waiting to have it repaired, while sitting in the dentist's office, and in the midst of the lunch hour rush in a diner.
Do you have writing wishes you hope will come true?
I just want to write books that kids want to read.
What's the most interesting writing question anyone ever asked you?
There was this third grader who asked if I "ever had someone like Aunt Patty, who loved you so much she was crabby about it?" She stays in my mind.
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