i mean, greg heffley is not defined by heroics.rhero, he's just a regular kid, flaws and all. >> yup, i'm pretty sure i'm going to therapy for this. jeff: a lot of kids in children's literature, the protagonists are like miniature adults, and they always do the right thing. they're brave, they're aspirational characters. while i was writing "diary of a wimpy kid," i was actually reading harry potter, and harry is brave. he's magical, he's powerful. he's famous, he's all the things that i was not, so i wanted to create a character who is more like me. and if you look at greg on the cover of the book, he's got a frown on just about every cover. and, you know, he looks like he's not having an easy time of things. i think the books would be really different if greg looked happy or joyful or strong on the covers. i think that kids wodn't reach for the books as much. geoff: is there anything that you try to teach kids through the character of greg heffley? jeff: i'm reallyrying to teach kids to laugh at their own circumstances. i like to