My picture books

	Hill and Hole were best friends. Hill liked being a hill, and Hole like being a hole, but sometimes they wondered what it would be like to swap places. Maybe Mole and Wind can help? I've got no idea where this idea came from. One day it just popped into my head. But I think it's a very funny story.		In my valley (well, it's not really MY valley ... I don't own it or anything!) there is a group of seven friends who get together for scrummy dinners with lots of champagne and delicious desserts. Everyone goes to so much trouble to make something special. But sometimes we go to sooo much trouble, we're all too tired to enjoy ourselves! That's what Daisy's Maze is about, too. Michaela, the illustrator has done a great job. I was very surprised when I discovered she'd drawn seven friends in the book, and they sort of remind me of my friends, too!! I'm the rabbit.
	Two years ago, my cat, Momo, died. Momo was very old, and she was getting sick, but it was still very sad. That's when I decided to write a book about losing someone dear. I was thinking a lot about my grandads, too, when I wrote it. They both died many years ago, but I still miss them sometimes. They were always telling stories. It was a very hard book to write. I was very excited when I saw Rachel's illustrations - they are BRILLIANT, and Old Hu-hu sort of looks like my grandad, too. Old Hu-hu  is also published in Te Reo.		Ant's mum bought Ant some baggy pants, the fanciest pants he'd seen. With polka dot patches and plenty of pockets, and buckles and zips in between.  Some people think writing rhymes is easy, but I think it's very hard. Maybe that's why I don't write rhyming stories very often.
	My house is in the country. It's lovely and quiet most of the time, but sometimes it can get very noisy. Especially when all the lambs are taken away from their mums. It's pretty scary having no mum suddenly, and there's no more milk, either. So they all make an awful racket! Sleep sheep are a lot quieter than real sheep. But I don't know what I'd do if I woke up and found a sleep sheep on the end of my bed. The eleventh sheep is also published in South Korea and China		Have you ever stuck your head somewhere you shouldn't and gotten stuck? I HAVE! That's what I was thinking about when I wrote this story. I tried to use as FEW words as possible, too. That was hard. It's sort of like a poem - a lot of the words sound the same, but they don't rhyme ... if you know what I mean. If I ever get stuck, I hope my friends are more like Rat than Goose. Even though Chook is my favourite. Duck's stuck! is also published in the UK.
	When my friend Christopher was 4 years old, his parents taught him his address in case he got lost. But  Christopher was a very friendly boy, so everywhere he went, he walked up to complete strangers and told them his address! Not only that, but he always asked them to visit him, too. The real Christopher never invited a circus or an orchestra home, but I always wondered what would happen if he did ...  No room for a mouse is also published in Germany,Holland and Japan.		When I was growing up my mum used to wear bright red lipstick. When she kissed me, she always left a big red smelly spot on my cheek. YUCK! But that wasn't the worst bit!! Because then she'd get out her hanky and suck the end until it was dripping  with smelly SPIT, and then she'd WIPE HER KISS OFF!!! YUCK!   So I don't blame Andy for running from Auntie Elsie AT ALL. Do you run away from anyone's hugs and kisses?   Kiss!Kiss!Yuck!Yuck! is also published in the USA and South Korea.
	One night I was woken by a strange snuffling, snorting sound. I thought it was a bear! So I carefully turned on the light and ... PHEW! It wasn't a bear after all. But that gave me an idea for my next story, about a boy called Josh who hears a bear in his parents' bedroom late one night, so decides to try and catch it. I don't know if I'd be as brave as Josh. I'd probably pull the blankets over my head and hope the bear didn't EAT me! What would you do if you heard a bear in the room next door?		My first book! One morning I woke up with a Hoppleplop in my head. I jumped out of bed and started writing straight away. By lunchtime I had the story finished. "Easy peasy!" I thought. But it never happened THAT easy again. My house is a bit like the Hoppleplop house. Sadly, there are no Hoppleplops or even any pesky Ooblangitangs for miles. I used to have a cat called Momo, but she died last year. She was very old.