You can never have 'equality' between two things that are not equal by definition. And so, for example, you can have equality among 'people', but not between 'men' and 'women'.

Picture books are for everybody at any age, not books to be left behind as we grow older.

A lot of my characters are underdogs or sad or lonely, but I had a comfortable, golden sort of childhood.

Maurice Sendak is the daddy of them all when it comes to picture books - the words, the rhythm, the psychology, the design.

As a boy, I devoured comics but never saw what we now describe as a picture book.

Never forget that children are at the heart of everything we do. Respect them, listen to them, talk to them as equals, and care about them.

Stories come to me in mysterious ways, more like dreams than reasoned creations.

I'm impressed by the way some illustrators develop their images on computers, but it's too late for me to start, and I'm still in love with paper and paint and pencils.

After art college, I got a job as a medical illustrator, and I was pretty good. I had to imagine what was going on in the operations because the photographs just showed a mess.

When I was a boy, I was a worrier, and so was my son, Joe. I used to tell him that worrying meant he had an imagination and that one day he'd be pleased.

Inspiring passion in children for books, and the world of imagination and creativity fuelled by them, is a fundamental reason for why the Children's Laureate post exists.

When you are loving, kind, and true everyone will find astonishing beauty within you.

I know you weren’t born to make people happy, but if you did one day someone else will make you happy too.

No one can help but stare at the monster, because horror is a cousin to awe.

Onde you bid farewell to discipline you day goodbye to success

I think I can hold every portfolio - defense, finance and Foreign Ministry. I think personally I'd like the foreign office.

Detroit: Cars and rock 'n' roll. Not a bad combo.

For benefits return benefits; for injuries return justice without any admixture of revenge.

We must send a message that visa expiration dates will be strongly enforced.

Aqualung is one that my brother turned me onto. It wasn't that hard-rocking, but Martin Barre had a really good sound. He knew what he was doing.

It is strange how fragile this man-creature is.....in one second he's just garbage. Garbage, that's all.