You Can Always Trust A Dog That

Anybody Who Puts A Book Into Someone Else's Hands Inspires Me - Teachers, Librarians, Booksellers, Parents.

I Like To Think Of Myself As A Storyteller.

In The Tale Of Despereaux, There Is A Lot Of Darkness, A Lot Of Despair. There's Also A Lot Of Light, Redemption, Hope. There's Forgiveness, There's Friendship, There's Love. But The World In All Of Its Potential Craziness Is Also There.

It Is Always Just Telling A Story, Regardless Of The Age Of The Reader. Except, If I'm Writing Something For Kids, I Know There Has To Be Hope. I Don't Necessarily Feel That Responsibility For Adults, But I Emphatically Feel It For Children. That's The Only Difference. There's No Syntax Difference. There's No Semantics Difference. There's No Thematic Difference.

If Memory Serves Me Correctly, And It Doesn't Always, Kate [dicamillo] And I Met In The Fall Of 2001 At The Former Figlio's Restaurant In Minneapolis. We Were Laughing Within A Minute Of Meeting - Always A Good Sign.