Animals are sentient, intelligent, perceptive, funny and entertaining. We owe them a duty of care as we do to children.

It is the child's understanding that teaches the adults the way of the future. They're still doing it today with modern technology.

There is the myth that writing books for children is easier than writing books for grownups, whereas we know that truly great books for children are works of genius, whether it's 'Alice in Wonderland' or the 'Gruffalo' or 'Northern Lights.' When it's a great book, it's a great book, whether it's for children or not.

Strange questions are the more interesting ones. Children by and large don't try to trip you up... they want to find out how you do this funny thing that you do... if they've loved a story they love to know how it started.

As a young child my attention span was, as I remember it, rather short.

Children have to be motivated to want to learn to read. Reading must not be taught simply as a school exercise.

I was never a great reader, but there were two stories I loved best: Kipling's The Elephant's Child and The Jungle Book. Deep down, I've always wanted to write a book about a wild child and an elephant.

Anything that gets children reading is fine.