Children’s Books and the

Ladder of Years

“A good picture book text can almost be whistled.”

--Margaret Wise Brown

“As a picture-book artist, I don’t think one can ever be too much on the side of the child.”

--Helen Oxenbury

“Up to a point , a child is more tactile than verbal: holding hands, holding his or her bottle or rattle … and being held is what matters at first. School—and focusing on the words in books—comes later. I thought there should be a bridge between.”

--Eric Carle

“There’s always room for a story that can transport people to another place.”

--J.K. Rowling

“I think the cartoon characters in the Knuffle Bunny books are more real than the photographic backgrounds. They’re purer than more realistic drawings … would have been, because their design focuses on their emotional side.”

--Mo Willems

“In my books, I don’t want to teach. What I have done might better be described as ‘teaching without teaching.’”

--Mitsumasa Anno