"Hope is a key word for me, in writing for children. I have no right to present despair to those whose minds are still unformed. The younger the audience, the greater the emphasis on hope."
MARTIN WADDELL
On engendering hope in children
"What seems to adults to be the very small drama of three little Owls, Sarah and Percy and Bill whose mother is missing, is huge to very small readers."
MARTIN WADDELL
On the success of Owl Babies
"As a writer I feel it is my duty to affirm the right to reasoned dissent, to encourage children to think problems through for themselves, before taking sides or refusing to take sides."
MARTIN WADDELL
On acceptance of the Hans Christan Andersen Award, 2004
"Waddell writes for young people of all ages with simplicity, empathy and respect: he recognises and articulates the complexities of ordinary lives and illustrates the need of those lives to be protected and understood.”
International Board on Books for Young People
2004
"His storytelling captures the hearts of readers both young and old, and his work is filled with warmth, imagination, and a deep understanding of childhood, making him one of the most beloved voices in children’s literature."
LARRY MAC HALE
Chairperson of the An Post Irish Book Awards
“Widely regarded as one of the finest contemporary writers of books for children and young adults”
