Otis Was Inspired By A Boy Who

All Her Life She Had Wanted To Squeeze The Toothpaste Really Squeeze It,not Just One Little Squirt. [...] The Paste Coiled And Swirled And Mounded In The Washbasin. Ramona Decorated The Mound With Toothpaste Roses As If It Was A Toothpaste Birthday Cake

I Was A Very Observant Child. The Boys In My Books Are Based On Boys In My Neighborhood Growing Up.

I Enjoy Writing For Third And Fourth Graders Most Of All.

The Humiliation That Jane Had Felt Turned To Something Else--grief Perhaps, Or Regret. Regret That She Had Not Known How To Act With A Boy, Regret That She Had Not Been Wiser.

I Think The Best Teachers Had A Real Interest In The Subject They Were Teaching And A Love For Children.