Chris Van Allsburg

Growing up in the 1950s, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, boys were supposed to be athletic. ”

In the same way that a mundane object can have a personality somehow, I try to suggest that a mundane setting can have some menace behind it. ”

It's not in the interest of the artist to think of his market. ”

As long as I can remember, I've always loved to draw. But my interest in drawing wasn't encouraged very much. ”

What kids are exposed to on television is more frightening and horrifying than what they see in my books. ”

Brainstorming, for me, takes place in my bed at night between the time I turn out my lights and I finally fall asleep. It is not a very violent storm, but what's happening is I am just thinking about different ideas and maybe things I've seen that day that I think might make a good story. ”

I don't know if what kids really want is a hamster. What they want is a dog. So the hamster ends up being a substitute: 'Well, would you accept this?' ”

There was a great deal of peer recognition to be gained in elementary school by being able to draw well. One girl could draw horses so well, she was looked upon as a kind of sorceress. ”

I don't like to get scared - it's not one of the emotions I enjoy. So I have to assume that if there are scary things in my books, they aren't very scary. ”

I think it's difficult to forget things that are unresolved. ”