Peggy Rathmann Quotes & Sayings

It's really an interesting problem, trying to earn a living and serve art and serve kids. What I try to create are these visual layers so that readers feel the possibility exists that there might be something in the book they never saw before. — Peggy Rathmann

When you make illustrations, you're supposed to have a subtext; you're not just communicating words - you're actually adding another story altogether. — Peggy Rathmann

When adults read a book, they're two feet away; when children read it, they're right inside it. — Peggy Rathmann

I had a cat I could not see,
Because it stayed in back of me.
It was a very loyal pet-
It's sad we never really met.

I had a nice pet
Who I never met,
Remember it always stayed behind me.
And I'm sure it was a cat, too. — Peggy Rathmann

Opening myself to criticism was a big door to go through. You can be afraid about something your whole life, about being out in public where people know your name but not you, and it can cripple your ability to try new things. — Peggy Rathmann

I lived at home off and on until I was 37. I have about a million college credits. I'd worry about writing about anyone else because I'd be invading their privacy, but you can use your mom and dad and their dog for everything! — Peggy Rathmann

When you look at children, they're so beautiful, and they seem so peaceful because their faces aren't all wrinkly and worried. They're like beautiful little pieces of pottery or something. You want to think they have this peace because they have no big responsibilities, but it's just not true. — Peggy Rathmann

When a kid graduates from being the youngest in a family to being a big brother or sister, there's an amazing transformation. They have to make a big effort, and when they accept their new position in the family, everybody breathes a sigh of relief. All of a sudden they seem bigger, and they seem smarter, and they feel good about it, too. — Peggy Rathmann