Last week, I talked with Mark Teague, a children's author and illustrator who appears tomorrow at Carnegie Library Lecture Hall, Oakland, at 10:30 a.m. Mr. Teague has published more than 20 books, including "La-Rue," "Poppleton" and the "How Do Dinosaurs ...?" series.

Q. For someone who doesn't know you, what would you tell them about you and your work?

A. I'm an author and illustrator of children's books, primarily picture books for young kids. I've been doing this for about 20 years and my main publisher is Scholastic.

Q. When did you decide you wanted to be a writer or illustrator?

A. I kind of fell into it almost. When I got out of college I got a job in New York City working for Barnes and Noble at their corporate office. I was in the display department where they would make those signs for in the store. We also designed and put together the window displays. That was my art training and the time when I was really exposed to children's books.

Q. How did you get the idea for your first book?

A. I got inspired by the books I was seeing in Barnes and Noble and I decided to take a shot at illustrating myself. I went home and wrote a story and I spent the next couple months illustrating the story. Because I was in New York and I was around book people, that kind of helped. I got to know people who were in the business and I was able to get to publishers. Finally I got a chance to take my book over to Scholastic. They really liked the book and so they published it.

Q. You illustrate both books you wrote and books other people wrote. Which do you prefer?

A. I'm really glad that I get to do both things. I started off writing and illustrating (my books) and I've always considered myself an author as well as an illustrator.

But, the thing that is fun about illustrating for other authors is that they imagine things that probably never would have occurred to me. I feel that working with other people has extended me as an illustrator and given me new challenges, which is something I really like.

Q. What is the best part of your job?

A. It's a great job and it's hard to break it down. I get to do some thing I really like -- painting. That's really the biggest part of every project is painting the illustrations. I thoroughly enjoy it. I work at home with the radio or something on. When the work's going well it's that sort of thing where I kind of get lost in it. I can start working and the next thing you know it's dinner time. When you're painting, it's also sort of hypnotic and very pleasurable, very interesting too.

Q. What is the worst part of your job?

A. Well, I don't want to say I hate public speaking but it is the thing that comes least naturally to me. Usually when I come to an event like the one I'm coming to do in Pittsburgh, I have a really good time but it's taken me a while to get comfortable with that role.

Q. What is something your parents made you do when you were little that you hated but now are glad you did?

A. My parents were real workers because they came from the Depression generation. Their whole life was work and they trained that into all of their kids. We just worked all the time! I can't say I really enjoyed it but it was good to get that work discipline. Just having the discipline to get up and work hard every day is really important and that's something I give my parents a lot of credit for.

Q. What advice do you offer to young writers and illustrators?

A. What was most valuable to me was when I was a little kid, I was always drawing and to some extent, writing stories, and I did it for fun. It was really just play to me. Lots of kids have that inclination. I want to encourage them to do that, to regard this writing and drawing as play, and to have fun with it. The most important thing that will help your talent is to practice.

Tickets for Mr. Teague's appearance are $10 for adults and $8 for children; 412-622-8866 or visit www.pittsburghlectures.org.