I sculpted for four or five years. Mostly for my own amusement, I decided to do a picture book, and that was kind of a turning point.

A good picture book should have events that are visually arresting - the pictures should call attention to what is happening in the story.

The Polar Express was the easiest of my picture book manuscripts to write... Once I realized the train was going to the North Pole, finding the story seemed less like a creative effort than an act of recollection. I felt, like the story's narrator, that I was remembering something, not making it up.

He was reluctant to open it, for once such a thing is opened, it cannot be shut again.

Some events in the life of a person, or a company, or a business, or even a country prove turning point.

Are you still looking for a turning point? Well, look within yourself and look around you. The place is here and the time is now!