Mac Barnett: Hi, my name is Mac Barnett and I am the author of The Skunk, which is illustrated by Patrick McDonnell. The Skunk is a book about a skunk that follows a man all across the city. The man tries to escape but he just can't.

This book, I got the idea for it from a strange place. I was in a library in an elementary school, which on its face is not a strange place, it's actually a great place: an elementary school library. But there was a poster in this library, a very old poster full of writing prompts, that I think if you were a kid in there, doing a writing assignment you would look at this poster and get an idea for a story.

I was just sitting there reading those writing prompts that they were giving to the kids in there, these kids probably know, what these are like, there things like, imagine that you are on another planet, I was like "All right, that would be an interesting story." It's like imagine you wake up and you're 3 inches tall, I was like, "Yeah that'd be an interesting story," I feel like I read that before. Then it said, imagine that skunk won't stop following you, I said, "Whoa, that sounds like a crazy story," and I couldn't stop thinking about that.

So that night when I got home I started writing the book that became The Skunk. I'll read you the beginning right now.

The Skunk written by me, Mac Barnett, with art by Patrick McDonnell.

When I left my house there was a skunk on my doorstep. I kept very still. I did not want to startle him. But the skunk did not seem scared. Slowly and carefully, I backed away and started down the street. The skunk started right after me. We walked together a few blocks. I thought it was a funny that a skunk and I could be going in the same direction. But after a mile I realized I was being followed.