Though some people grow to love books once they’re adults, most lifelong readers (including the editors at Early Bird Books) started young. Because of that, there will always be a special place in our hearts for the whimsical stories we read over and over as children—the ones that made us realize just how magical books could be.
Below, our favorite quotes from children’s books. They hooked us from the first time we read them.
“Do you understand how there could be any writing in a spider's web?"
"Oh, no," said Dr. Dorian. "I don't understand it. But for that matter I don't understand how a spider learned to spin a web in the first place. When the words appeared, everyone said they were a miracle. But nobody pointed out that the web itself is a miracle."
"What's miraculous about a spider's web?" said Mrs. Arable. "I don't see why you say a web is a miracle—it's just a web."
"Ever try to spin one?" asked Dr. Dorian.”
― E.B. White, Charlotte's Web
“All the world is made of faith, and trust, and pixie dust.”
― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan
“And what is the use of a book," thought Alice, "without pictures or conversation?”
― Lewis Carroll, Alice's Adventures in Wonderland
“A heart is not judged by how much you love; but by how much you are loved by others.”
― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz
"A person's a person, no matter how small."
— Dr. Seuss, Horton Hears a Who
Related: The Best Dr. Seuss Quotes to Add Whimsy to Your Day
“If the person you are talking to doesn't appear to be listening, be patient. It may simply be that he has a small piece of fluff in his ear.”
― A.A. Milne, Winnie-the-Pooh
“I suppose there's a time in practically every young boy's life when he's affected by that wonderful disease of puppy love. I don't mean the kind a boy has for the pretty little girl that lives down the road. I mean the real kind, the kind that has four small feet and a wiggly tail, and sharp little teeth that can gnaw on a boy's finger; the kind a boy can romp and play with, even eat and sleep with.”
― Wilson Rawls, Where the Red Fern Grows
“At first people refuse to believe that a strange new thing can be done, then they begin to hope it can be done, then they see it can be done—then it is done and all the world wonders why it was not done centuries ago.”
― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden
“Welcome to a new year at Hogwarts! Before we begin our banquet, I would like to say a few words. And here they are: Nitwit! Blubber! Oddment! Tweak!”
― J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone
"But there was one other thing that the grown-ups also knew, and it was this: that however small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance is there. The chance had to be there."
–Roald Dahl, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Related: 50 Quotes for Book Lovers
"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship."
—Louisa May Alcott, Little Women
“That's the duty of the old,' said the Librarian, 'to be anxious on the behalf of the young. And the duty of the young is to scorn the anxiety of the old.'
They sat for a while longer, and then parted, for it was late, and they were old and anxious.”
― Philip Pullman, The Golden Compass
“It is helpful to know the proper way to behave, so one can decide whether or not to be proper.”
― Gail Carson Levine, Ella Enchanted
“I don't understand it any more than you do, but one thing I've learned is that you don't have to understand things for them to be.”
― Madeleine L'Engle, A Wrinkle in Time
Keep Reading:
10 Books to Transport Your Kids This Spring
Educational Books for Kids to Keep Reading Skills Sharp
Featured photo: Aaron Burden / Unsplash
