1. I was frightened by a giant Mr. Peanut when I was five.
My mom and I had been waiting for my dad to pick us up after shopping downtown. All the stores had closed, and we were the only people still out on Main Street—except for Mr. Peanut. He spotted me from the other end of the block and came lumbering down the sidewalk to meet me. I had never seen such a thing! I was terrified. I tried to hide. But he found me! And I WAILED! I wailed louder than a stepped-on cat. He fled just as my dad pulled up to the curb to whisk me away.
What scares you?
2. I was a kindergarten drop out.
When I was in kindergarten, we moved to a brand new house in the suburbs—me, Mom, Dad, and four of my six brothers. (Yeah. That’s a lot of brothers.) Our new town didn’t have a kindergarten, so I was stuck at home with all those boys. But not for long. I made lots of friends in my new neighborhood, and we’d take off for the day exploring fields and ponds, climbing hills and trees, making forts, and finding adventures. We’d play until we were hungry for lunch, then head out to play some more until the sun set or we heard our moms blow their whistles. Each mom had a different kind, so we always knew which kid was being called in. I didn’t miss kindergarten at all.
How do you find adventures?
3. I love animals.
Here are the pets I’ve lived with so far—but not all at once: two dogs, four cats, two gerbils, one hamster, two parakeets, one turtle, too-many-to-count aquarium fish, one rabbit, and two goldfish who lived to be about eight years old. You know how some people like to watch fish swim in an aquarium? Well, sometimes I’d catch those two goldfish watching me as I read a book or watched TV or wrote a story. When I’d clean their aquarium, they’d swim against my hand, the way a cat rubs against the leg of someone it loves. Animals are amazing. I love them all.
What’s your favorite animal?