Jean Craighead George

“There are always the kids who just love animals. Unfortunately, though, people have become afraid of the outdoors.”

“Yes, you are Eskimo," he had said. "And never forget it. We live as no other people can, for we truly understand the earth.”

“By the time I got to kindergarten, I was surprised to find out I was the only kid with a turkey vulture.”

“Children will often write, 'We love your books because there are no adults in them.'”

“Every day, I get e-mails from kids who want a tree - a world away from the adult world.”

“I have discovered I cannot dream up characters as incredible as the ones I meet in the wilderness.”

“I kept on writing and illustrating, for this is what I did well because I loved it.”

“Never before had I been offered a contract and advance before a word had been written... I went home and began writing 'Julie of the Wolves.'”

“I hope my books empower kids, and that they learn how to work out their problems themselves.”

“Oh, those golden-yellow eyes of the wolf! You can feel yourself being pulled in. I knew I had been accepted - and that I had spoken to another species.”

“There the old Eskimo hunters she had known in her childhood thought the riches of life were intelligence, fearlessness, and love. A man with these gifts was rich and was a great spirit who was admired in the same way that the gussaks admired a man with money and goods.”

“A falcon is the perfect hunter.”

“I met senators, diplomats and the President of the United States, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.”

“Chicken is Good! It tastes like chicken.”

“Doing interesting things and then writing about them is the best way to become a good writer.”

“My writing process is a mix of research, personal experiences, washing the dishes, raising kids while thinking - then writing.”

“Wolves are brotherly," he said. "They love each other, and if you learn to speak to them, they will love you too.”

“Most of these wild animals depart in autumn when the sun changes their behavior and they feel the urge to migrate or go off alone. While they are with us, however, they become characters in my books, articles, and stories.”

“I have a perfect life where I read; I go out into the wilderness and camp. I meet scientists and learn about their studies of wild animals, and then I come home... and start creating the world I have seen.”

“I would just watch the animals, and their stories would roll out when I wrote.”