Q: What was your first illustration?

A: Although at the age of 14, I drew a hand that was used in a math textbook that my father wrote, I didn't get published on my own merits until I was in college. When I was 19, I showed my drawings to the art editor of the New York Times, and he gave me my first assigned illustration.

Q: What was your first book?

A: I illustrated a novel by Avi. The title was "Emily Upham's Revenge, or How Deadwood Dick Saved the Banker's Niece, a Massachussetts Adventure." The cover looked like this:

Q: Did you always know you were going to be a children's book illustrator?

A: No. I thought I might be a painter. Or maybe an architect. Or one of a dozen other things, not all of which were related to art. And I also knew as a child that I liked to make books, often collaborating with friends. But somehow it didn't dawn on me that I could become a children's book illustrator.

Q: Which of your books is your favorite?

A: I can't answer that question because if I chose one book, it would be unfair to all my other books.

Q: Where can we learn more about you?

A: Look for Talking With Artists, Volume III, by Pat Cummings.

Q: Where and how do you speak about your work?

A: I very much enjoy giving presentations about almost any of my books. These include lots of pictures, along with explanations of the stages of bookmaking, research, technical challenges, and other issues that relate to what I do. Much of it is pretty funny. I often draw to illustrate points, either at an easel or straight into my computer for projection on a screen; I can draw very fast (though not as fast as Stephen Kellogg, if you've ever seen him give a presentation!) I find I generally communicate well with all ages of audience, and try to adjust the content of my talks accordingly, whether they be Kindergartners, graduate students, or the general public. This is the part of my website for people who might be interested in arranging a visit from me.

Q: Why did you make the miller's daughter's hair black, instead of gold?

A: In Rumpelstiltskin, the miller's daughter's hair wasn't part of the story, and I didn't see any reason to make it golden. There are already enough stories where beautiful heroines are blonde; I don't like the idea that blondness is necessary for beauty or virtue; I thought I would rather make the miller's daughter dark-haired. And the beautiful young woman I found to model for me also happened to have dark hair.

Q: Do you have a plan to write or illustrate chapter books?

A: I don't see myself writing a chapter book, at least any time soon, but I certainly have illustrated them (look at the page with all of my books).

Q: What media do you use for most of your illustrations?

A: I guess my books don't give that information on the copyright page, as some publishers' do. I try to choose a medium that best illustrates the feeling of each text, so that I've tried a lot of different materials. I 'm probably most comfortable with oil paints, which are the medium for the realistic pictures in my fairy tale books, as well as for the very different art in The Wheels on the Bus and Knick-Knack Paddywhack! For The Shivers in the Fridge, I used pencil, pastel, watercolor and computer printout.

Q: What is your favorite illustration in the book Dear Mr. Henshaw, and why?

A: I can't answer most "favorite" questions, but I do have an answer to this. I am fondest of the picture near the beginning of this book, in which the main character and his mother are standing outside of their house, behind an apartment house and next to a gas station. I don't think this was necessarily my best drawing in the book, but I will tell you why it is my favorite. When I was setting out to draw it, I had trouble understanding the description in the text of how the three buildings were arranged. So I sent the book's editor a request to ask if Beverly Cleary would draw me a little map to help me with the picture. She sent me a map that explained not only the placement of the buildings, but even the layout of Leigh Botts' house, where the kitchen and closets were, and all sorts of details that were not in the book. I was so delighted to see how real Leigh's world was in Mrs. Cleary's head that this drawing gives me the most pleasure of any in the book.

Q: Each book you illustrate has a totally different style - how did you learn so many diverse techniques? Or do you learn as you go?

A: I pretty much learn as I go. Usually the stories tell me what the pictures should look like, or at least what they should feel like, but I don't necessarily know how to go about making those pictures. Often I look very hard at other art, in books or in museums, and when I want a book to resemble a real historical artistic style, I will copy some examples of it. It's amazing how much you can learn by copying. Other times, when I don't have examples to follow from the history of art, I just try different things and see if they work.

Q: We wondered how you managed to focus upon the witch in "Rapunzel," and to make the tale really HER tale.

A: I suppose I could have made the sorceress a mere evil-doer, but much of what makes "Rapunzel" such a captivating story is that the characters are not so simple. I am not sure if I quite agree that the story is more the sorceress' than Rapunzel's; I do think that it is about Rapunzel's relationships with the people around her. (I began the project thinking it would be about hair!) One of my favorite reviews of Rapunzel referred to a complex combination of emotions crossing the sorceress' face as she cuts off Rapunzel's hair; this was so gratifying because it was exactly what I was hoping to portray.

Q: How do you bring oil paint and working on paper together? Oil is so heavy and what kind of paper do you use? I thought it might be 300lb watercolor paper.

A: If you can find the new book "Artist to Artist," and look for my contribution, you'll find a slightly fuller explanation of the technique I've used for my fairy tale illustrations. Basically, I seal watercolor paper with acrylic medium before painting on it with oils. How thick a paper I use doesn't much matter to the art, except that different papers all have different surface textures, which will make the painting look different.

Q: What kind of bicycle do you ride?

Q: How do you hold your fork and knife?

Q: What is your favorite color?

Q: What was your best Halloween costume?

A: I was in third or fourth grade and made a traffic-light costume out of a big box. I went trick-or-treating holding a flashlight inside it with me. When I got to a house, I would point the flashlight at the inside of the top light, and the words "trick or treat!"would show in the red translucent lens; then I would hold the flashlight up to my middle, yellow lamp until I received a treat, and then "Thank you!" would show in the green, bottom lamp.

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