Hi! My name is Helen Lester and I have written many fun children's books, check them out!

When I travel around the country visiting schools, the children I meet have lots of wonderful questions, so I thought it would be fun to use these in an interview with an IMAGINARY KID:

Where do your ideas come from?

I taught elementary school for many years and now all my second graders have come back to haunt me! Tacky the Penguin (Tacky the Penguin book cover), Buddy Rabbit (Listen Buddy), Pinkerton Pig (Me First), Wodney Wat (Howay), Princess Penelope (& her parrot) and Twitchly Fidget (Something might happen) --they were all in my classes.

Do you ever illustrate your books?

I did illustrate Author: A True Story( Houghton, Mifflin, 1997) and the book explains why I usually work with an illustrator! The wonderful artist and person Lynn Munsinger, with whom I've done many books, draws what I would if I could.

What is your favorite book that you've written?

May I pick more than one?

Sure.

Thanks, I guess this would be today's choices:

• Hooway for Wodney Wat for its message;
• Tacky the Penguin for its character; and
• Author, A True Story because it encourages children to write.

Do you have any advice for young writers?

Yes, writing is like doing a maze. I have lots of wonderful ideas. And lots of un-wonderful ideas. So the trick is to keep trying to find your way. And the more you exercise your writing the better you get at solving that maze.

Are there ever any mistakes printed in your books?

Yes, I know of at least two. OK, detectives, look at:

Listen Buddy , p.26, and Author , p. 8 (hint: this one is in my own handwriting!) Can you find any more?

Have you ever won any awards?

Yes, and I especially treasure the ones that are Children's Choice Awards. Howay for Wodney Wat has been the choice of children in 17 states.

Wodney for Pwedsident?

Pwecisely.

What is your latest book?

In the fall of 2007 A Sheep in Wolf's Clothing will be out. It's about Ewetopia, a sheep who has the bad taste to go to a costume ball dressed as a wolf. There she meets a wolf d(big and bad ) dressed as a sheep -who thinks she's his mother! The plot thickens.

Do you plan to write any more books?

Lots! Right now I,m working on Tacky Goes to Camp and he's having many adventures at Camp Whoopihaha.

Will any of your characters be made into stuffed animals?

Where do you live?

After living in Chicago, New York City, San Francisco, and Minneapolis, I've settled in the town of Pawling, NY, in a beautiful area of woods and hills and animals.

Do you have a family?

Yes. My husband Robin (who is an educator and historian) and I have two grown sons, one granddaughter "Kate", and one grown dog,“Helga”. Helga (she was born in Minnesota) is an “Aire-Lab” (Airedale and Labrador) and keeps us entertained and exercised.

Do you have any hobbies?

I love to play in the kitchen with Indian Food, Italian Food, French Food, and Any Other Kind of Food. I also enjoy drawing and hike a couple of miles daily.

Where can I find more information about you and your books?

We have a list of my children's books here. You can also try the Houghton, Mifflin web site [www.hmco.com], any of the book stores on-line, and you might even try my name in your search box on the internet (I especially like to see some of the ways teachers are using my books in the classroom). For information on the possibility of my visiting your school, send an Email to: Nadya_Guerrero-Pezzano@hmco.com< .

Thank you for answering my questions.