Writing Children's Books Quotes:

You have to write the book that wants to be written. And if the book will be too difficult for grown-ups, then you write it for children.

- Madeleine L'Engle

topic: Life, Beautiful, Children, Writing Children's Books, Writing From Famous Authors

If you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

- Roald Dahl

source: Roald Dahl (2007). “James and the Giant Peach”, p.151, Penguin

topic: Life, Happiness, Beauty, Always Happy, Good Thoughts

And now here is my secret, a very simple secret; it is only with the heart that one can see rightly, what is essential is invisible to the eye.

- Antoine de Saint-Exupery

source: Le Petit Prince ch. 21 (1943)

topic: Love, Life, Determination, Great Marriage, Inspirational Children

Imagination is more important than knowledge.

- Albert Einstein

topic: Inspirational, Positive, Leadership, Incomplete Knowledge, Fine Arts

I am not afraid of storms for I am learning how to sail my ship.

- Louisa May Alcott

source: J. M. Barrie, Charles Dickens, Johanna Spyri, Louisa May Alcott, L. Frank Baum (2015). “Greatest Christmas Novels in One Volume: Life and Adventures of Santa Claus, Heidi, The Romance of a Christmas Card, The Little City of Hope, The Wonderful Life, Little Women, Anne of Green Gables, Little Lord Fauntleroy, Peter Pan…”, p.1082, e-artnow

topic: Inspirational, Confidence, Wisdom, Storms Of Life, Tall Ships

A children's story that can only be enjoyed by children is not a good children's story in the slightest.

- C. S. Lewis

topic: Inspirational, Children, Powerful, Inspirational Reading, Reading Inspirational

I don't want to write for adults. I want to write for readers who can perform miracles. Only children perform miracles when they read.

- Astrid Lindgren

topic: Children, Writing, Miracle, Writing Children's Books

The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease for ever to be able to do it.

- James M. Barrie

source: James M. Barrie (2013). “The Little White Bird (Annotated Edition)”, p.85, Jazzybee Verlag

topic: Inspirational, Motivational, Inspiring, Improve Self Esteem, Self-doubt

In every job that must be done, there is an element of fun. You find the fun and - SNAP - the job's a game!

- Julie Andrews

source: Song: A Spoonful of Sugar

topic: Teacher, Jobs, Fun, Children's Literature, Children Literature

Unless someone like you cares a whole awful lot, nothing is going to get better. It's not.

- Dr. Seuss

source: The Lorax (1971)

topic: Inspirational, Life, Fun, Making A Difference In The World, Inspirational Children

A person who has good thoughts cannot ever be ugly. You can have a wonky nose and a crooked mouth and a double chin and stick-out teeth, but if you have good thoughts they will shine out of your face like sunbeams and you will always look lovely.

- Roald Dahl

source: Roald Dahl (2007). “James and the Giant Peach”, p.151, Penguin

topic: Beauty, Uplifting, Teacher, Good Thoughts, Sunbeams

A professional writer is an amateur who didn't quit.

- Richard Bach

topic: Perseverance, Writing, Quitting, Jonathan Livingston Seagull, Jonathan Seagull

The more he gave away, the more delighted he became.

- Marcus Pfister

source: Marcus Pfister (1992). “The Rainbow Fish”, p.26, Simon and Schuster

topic: Inspiring, Book, Children's Books, Delighted, Books For Kids

I went to sleep with gum in my mouth and now there's gum in my hair and when I got out of bed this morning I tripped on the skateboard and by mistake I dropped my sweater in the sink while the water was running and I could tell it was going to be a terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day.

- Judith Viorst

source: "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". Book by Judith Viorst, June 16, 1972.

topic: Running, Morning, Mistake, Mom Knows Best, Classic Book

A writer is somebody for whom writing is more difficult than it is for other people.

- Thomas Mann

source: "Essays of Three Decades". Book by Thomas Mann, 1942.

topic: Writing, People, Difficult, Creative Writing, Writing Advice

Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things don't matter at all, because once you are Real you can't be ugly, except to people who don't understand.

- Margery Williams

source: Margery Williams, Margery Williams Bianco (2011). “The Velveteen Rabbit: Or How Toys Became Real”, p.14, Marshall Cavendish

topic: Real, Eye, Hair, Children's Books, Children's Literature

It is better to write a bad first draft than to write no first draft at all.

- Will Shetterly

topic: Writing, Firsts, Bad Writing, Writing Children's Books

I keep writing children’s books, I keep making children’s books, because I still have them inside of me.

- Oliver Jeffers

topic: Children, Book, Writing, Writing Children's Books

The trick in writing children's books is to set up danger, mystery and excitement on page one. Force the kid to turn the page . . . Then in the middle of each chapter there's a dramatic point of excitement, and at chapter's end, a cliffhanger.

- Jerry West

topic: Children, Book, Kids, Cliffhanger, Writing Children's Books

My freshman English professor at Kent State University in 1984 told me I was a good writer, and she loved all the silly pictures I drew in my notebook. She said I should try writing children's books, and so I did.

- Dav Pilkey

topic: Notebook, Children, Silly, Writing Children's Books

Writing children's books gives a writer a very strong sense of narrative drive.

- Helen Dunmore

topic: Strong, Children, Book, Writing Children's Books

If you are writing children's books, you need to be a ruthless killer.

- J. K. Rowling

topic: Children, Book, Writing, Writing Children's Books