Author

I write in longhand on yellow legal pads.

I know that when I was a children's librarian, that was about 1940, boys particularly asked where were the books about kids like us, and there weren't any at that time.

I had a very wise mother. She always kept books that were my grade level in our house.

My mother always kept library books in the house, and one rainy Sunday afternoon - this was before television, and we didn't even have a radio - I picked up a book to look at the pictures and discovered I was reading and enjoying what I read.

I hope children will be happy with the books I've written, and go on to be readers all of their lives.

I feel sometimes that in children's books there are more and more grim problems, but I don't know that I want to burden third- and fourth-graders with them.

In 50 years, the world has changed, especially for kids, but kids' needs haven't changed. They still need to feel safe, be close to their families, like their teachers, and have friends to play with.

People are inclined to say that I am Ramona. I'm not sure that's true, but I did share some experiences with her.

I just wrote about childhood as I had known it.

I was a very observant child. The boys in my books are based on boys in my neighborhood growing up.

'Dear Mr. Henshaw' came about because two different boys from different parts of the country asked me to write a book about a boy whose parents were divorced, and so I wrote 'Dear Mr. Henshaw,' and it won the Newbery, and I was - it's been very popular.