Patricia MacLachlan — American Writer born on March 03, 1938,

Patricia "Patty" MacLachlan is an American children's writer, who is best known for the 1986 Newbery Medal-winning novel Sarah, Plain and Tall which was later adapted as a TV movie starring Glenn Close and Christopher Walken... (wikipedia)

I have to write what I can write, and writing the text of a picture book is like walking a tightrope, if you ramble off... As my friend Julius Lester says, 'A picture book is the essence of an experience.'
Being married to a psychologist, I realize that I learn more from imperfections.
In a way, my childhood was one long bunch of pages... I read and read and read.
Looking back, I see that I write books about brothers and sisters, about what makes up a family, what works and what is nurturing.
I can always tell when I'm about to start writing. I go through cycles in reading. When I'm beginning to start to write something, I start reading what I think of as good literature. I read things with wonderful language.