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Like lots of baby boomers, I was brought up on archaic anthropomorphism. Upstanding Christian dogs. Rabbits with family values. Because the ancient texts and pictures were sacred - Potter, Milne and the rest. Even concerned parents who knew Freud and Jung never saw the contradictions in feeding us on them.

Greed and Gain, grim guardians of the great god Mammon, continually cry in the ears of the poor, 'Give us your little ones!' And forever do the poor push out their little ones at the imperious ukase, feeding the children to a blind Hunger that is never filled.

Other people, including me, have written books with main characters who were old and rich. Or old and brilliant. Old sages, old wizards, old rich people.

I mean, my people were very, very simple. They were peasant people, you know?

I am for poetry that is admired by peasant and aristocrat alike.

Setting a good example for your children takes all the fun out of middle age.

Dogs and philosophers do the greatest good and get the fewest rewards.

I have spent a great deal of my time defending my work against those who see it as too complicated, too old in approach, too bleak to qualify as children's literature. This has been the bane of my life.

My parents were ignorant peasants from the Old World.

In ancient times cats were worshipped as gods; they have not forgotten this.