We had a dog, Lucky, who was fourteen years old. For the last year of his life, I would take him on these walks that were long but didn't cover much distance. Lynne Rae Perkins More Quotes by Lynne Rae Perkins More Quotes From Lynne Rae Perkins I'm German, after all. Lynne Rae Perkins I'm heavily influenced by Edward Ardizzone, how he has people talking in little speech bubbles. I love those. And also Edward Gorey. Those are two of my favorite people. Lynne Rae Perkins talking two people I don't feel like it's something I invented myself, rather something I absorbed and continue to do. Lynne Rae Perkins feels I remember when I was working on All Alone in the Universe, and Robin Roy was my editor. When I first sent it to her, she said kids this age don't want pictures in their books. Lynne Rae Perkins editors kids book By the time I finished the book [All Alone in the Universe], Robin Roy was saying, "More pictures!" Lynne Rae Perkins all-alone robins book It really does feel, partly because of graphic novels kids read, like there's a lot of freedom with how you can use both images and words, because we think in both of those ways. Lynne Rae Perkins doe kids thinking I think we're conditioned by watching movies. Lynne Rae Perkins thinking There will be scenes in a movie where people are walking through the park, or through a forest, and you're seeing the flickering leaves around them, and they're walking, but you're also hearing their words. It's an interaction between where they are and what they're saying that's both visual and verbal. Lynne Rae Perkins hearing parks people In the bedroom time I have generated thoughts, and then in the studio I take those thoughts and try to shape them into something. Lynne Rae Perkins bedroom shapes trying I [drinking coffee] for about an hour, I get dressed and go down in my studio, and that's a different kind of working. Lynne Rae Perkins coffee different drinking It would look like a notebook with dividers, and there'd be different subjects and things [preschoolers] could do, so that they could feel like they were going to school also. Lynne Rae Perkins notebook different school I love when I'm trying to do something I don't know how to do, and it kind of figures itself out along the way. And that means messing up a lot. That means throwing away a lot of drawings. Lynne Rae Perkins drawing trying mean I do love that discovery of when you're trying to figure out how to make something work, and it happens in a way that you didn't predict. Lynne Rae Perkins discovery trying way It's really daunting when you have just spent a lot of time on something to think about tossing it out. But once you've started something better that's working right, then it's pretty easy to let the first one go. Lynne Rae Perkins easy firsts thinking Some of it just involved thinking about, for example, the different kinds of science, what chemistry is. Lynne Rae Perkins different example thinking I knew what infinity was. Being a previous art student, I knew about some art concepts. Lynne Rae Perkins infinity students art I had a general outline of subjects. The way I start my days is my husband brings me a thermos of coffee up to the bedroom. Lynne Rae Perkins coffee husband way I creep over to my chair and sit there with my notebook and my thermos of coffee. It's my best time for thinking, because I haven't started thinking about anything else yet, and the thoughts can kind of go in and out of my head. Lynne Rae Perkins notebook coffee thinking It's one of my favorite times of day. I'll have an array of notes, things that I want to think about. Something will start to take shape, and I'll play around with it. It's not usually an intense time. It's sort of a playful time. But it's when some really good thoughts arise. Lynne Rae Perkins shapes play thinking A long time ago, I had an idea to make a book for preschoolers who had older siblings who were going to school. Lynne Rae Perkins sibling book school