Thumbing across America with John Waters

Love's possibilities unwrapped in French novel

I knew that, whatever I did, it had to be fun and edgy and simple so that kids could be like, 'I can draw just like him.' I knew I would need some humor in there. Somebody once said, 'Oh I thought you were a 6-year-old writing these books,' and I thought, 'Oh god, that's not good,' but now I love that because that's what kids see and hopefully go, 'I can do that.' You don't have to beat them over the head.

No one was doing these kinds of books. When I started, It's OK to Be Different was in the self-help section of Borders. No one knew what to do with them. People were like, 'Where are the bunnies and the bears and the pastels?'

Why do parents love your books so much?

I always try and think about how a grandma is going to feel reading this book, like my grandmother read to me every night, or a mom and dad are going to read this book, and I want them to laugh. I want them to feel warm when they're done.

I hope parents can really empower kids to believe in themselves, but I try to think about what parents are taking away from the books, too, to help them realize how much they love their kids.