The orphan in children’s literature allows the child protagonist to move the story forward themselves. I think that, however happy a family, every intelligent child thinks: ‘How did I come to be born to these parents?’ – it is about finding your place in the world. Brian Selznick Read Quote
I think when I’m drawing, I’m seeing what’s happening on the page almost as if it were unfolding like a movie in my head. Brian Selznick Read Quote
I think from an early age I was aware of how a camera can tell a story, how a movie camera can affect how the narrative is told. Brian Selznick Read Quote
I guess I see a part of myself in everyone I write about. I tend to write about kids who are obsessed with something, and even though I have never been good with machines the way Hugo is, I did love miniature things when I was a kid. Brian Selznick Read Quote
Well, everything surprises me about the writing process because illustrating comes much more naturally to me than writing does. Brian Selznick Read Quote
I’ve always loved the wild rumpus in ‘Where the Wild Things Are’ by Maurice Sendak, because the words disappear, the pictures take up the whole page, and we move forward in the story by turning the pages. Brian Selznick Read Quote
Sometimes, I have themes that interest me or that touch on larger issues but, really, I’m just trying to figure out the plot, or how the characters work. I’m trying to make the best story I possibly can. Brian Selznick Read Quote
A lot of people who don’t write for kids think it’s easy, because they think kids aren’t as smart as they are, or that you have to dumb down what you would normally write for kids. But I think you have to work harder when you write for kids, to make sure every word is right, that it’s there for the right reason. Brian Selznick Read Quote
A lot of times, people complain about how books and stories change when they’re translated to the screen. But I think sometimes people forget that a lot of changes have to be made because we’re not in a book when we’re watching a movie. Brian Selznick Read Quote
