How to Use Children’s Book Quotes in a Writing Mini-Lesson

I’m a long time collector of children’s book quotes, so I’ve assembled some of my favorites from classic children’s literature to share.

Book quotes from classic children’s literature are snippets of good writing, so why not use them as exemplars for teaching?

Even if you haven’t read any of these classic books (yet), these literary quotes provide plenty of context for understanding.

Here are just a few ideas for using children’s book quotes in a targeted writing mini-lesson:

  • voice (compare author voices)
  • word choice
  • figurative language (simile, metaphor, personification, etc.)
  • creating visual imagery
  • character dialogue
  • phrasing
  • syntax (word order)
  • types of sentences
  • sentence punctuation
  • point of view (perspective)
  • grammar & spelling

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

― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Teaching ideas: metaphor, first person perspective, compound sentence with coordinating conjunction

children's book quote from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

“Don’t try to make me grow up before my time…”

― Louisa May Alcott, Little Women

Teaching ideas: making inferences, command sentence

children's book quote from Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

“A conscience is that still small voice that people won’t listen to.”

― Carlo Collodi, Pinocchio

Teaching ideas: metaphor

children's book quote from Pinocchio by Carlo Collodi

“The moment you doubt whether you can fly, you cease forever to be able to do it.”

― J. M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Teaching ideas: making inferences, second person perspective

children's book quote from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

“To live will be an awfully big adventure.”

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Teaching ideas: metaphor, making inferences, syntax

children's book quote from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

“If you cannot teach me to fly, teach me to sing.”

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Teaching ideas: making inferences, second person perspective, if/then statement with comma

children's book quote from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

“I suppose it’s like the ticking crocodile, isn’t it? Time is chasing after all of us.”

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Teaching ideas: simile, personification, first person perspective, punctuation: comma, question mark, period, quotation mark

children's book quote from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

“It is not in doing what you like, but in liking what you do that is the secret of happiness.”

― J.M. Barrie, Peter Pan

Teaching idea: making inferences, syntax, second person perspective

children's book quote from Peter Pan by J.M. Barrie

“There is no place like home.”

― L. Frank Baum, The Wonderful Wizard of Oz 

Teaching ideas: making inferences, imperative sentence, text-to-self connection

children's book quote from The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum

“If you look the right way, you can see that the whole world is a garden.”

― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Teaching ideas: metaphor, second person perspective

children's book quote from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

“Where you tend a rose, my lad, a thistle cannot grow.”

― Frances Hodgson Burnett, The Secret Garden

Teaching ideas: metaphor, making inferences, second person perspective

children's book quotes from The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett

“Why, sometimes I’ve believed as many as six impossible things before breakfast.”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Teaching ideas: making inferences, first person perspective, hyperbole, compound words

children's book quote from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carrol

“No wise fish would go anywhere without a porpoise.”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Teaching ideas: puns & multiple meaning words

children's book quote from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

“You’re entirely bonkers. But I’ll tell you a secret: All the best people are.”

― Lewis Carroll, Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland

Teaching ideas: making inferences, using a colon to connect two sentences, contractions

children's book quote from Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll

“I’m so glad I live in a world where there are Octobers.”

― L. M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Teaching ideas: making inferences, first person perspective

children's book quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

“True friends are always together in spirit.”

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

 Teaching ideas: making inferences, text-to-self connection

children's book quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

“People laugh at me because I use big words. But if you have big ideas, you have to use big words to express them, haven’t you?”

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Teaching ideas: word repetition (big) for emphasis

children's book quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

“Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes in it…yet.”

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Teaching ideas: metaphor, making inferences

children's book quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

“Next to trying and winning, the best thing is trying and failing.”

― L.M. Montgomery, Anne of Green Gables

Teaching ideas: making inferences, comma with a dependent clause, -ing verb/suffix

children's book quote from Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgovmery

“It is good people who make good places.”

― Anna Sewell, Black Beauty

Teaching ideas: making inferences, word repetition (good) for emphasis, text-to-self connections

children's book quote from Black Beauty by Anna Sewell

“Ignorance is the parent of fear.”

― Herman Melville, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale

Teaching ideas: metaphor, making inferences, imperative sentence, word choice

children's book quote from Moby Dick by Herman Melville

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