I was ten when the idea of being a writer struck me with great seriousness.
My tenth year was one
where a number of memorable events occurred and the
question of how to record these events rose
in my mind and would not go away.
I wrote an autobiography that year, illustrating the characters,
those
populating my life, as pieces of fruit. Back then I was insecure about
drawing, especially
when it came to the human figure.
Since that time I've
continued to explore the possibilities for adventure that exist in writing
and
illustrating
books for children. A personal attachment to wilderness, no doubt forged in the fires
of my childhood, has motivated me to look for
ways to connect writing and drawing with wild places
and making books.
Over the years writing books on subjects of great interest to me, rattlesnakes,
bats, frogs, birds, bird nests, and more,I've come to understand how much we
think we know and
how much we do not know.
I now, after twenty-five plus years
writing and drawing non-fiction, have turned my attention to fiction
for young
adults.It seems a natural passage as I, myself, have grown both in awareness
and skill.
And then too, the concept of forever-learning is stronger than ever
in my philosophy. I choose to
write for children because, in truth, I have
never been presented with a conscious choice.
I have by this time in my life
made a commitment to writing for kids, while I've never seriously imagined
myself suited to any other sort of writing. Children see the world as a place
rampant with exciting activity,
from the mundane to
the
extraordinary, and I
share this excitement easily. Then, too, children want to
know the why of things.
They are not satisfied with pat, unoriginal answers to their burning questions.
I grew from a child left much to her own devices, never comfortable in a dress,
sometimes furious with
rules and regulations, always at odds with authority, into
an adult with a deep respect for personal
responsibility. I write from this perspective,
be it a book for a very young reader or a reader verging on
adulthood. I believe in
biological systems, in the integrity of nature, and so I believe all of us play a
role
in the success or failure of life, our own life, and the lives of others.
