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Kate DiCamillo

Kate DiCamillo Quotes

Writer

Kate DiCamillo is an American author renowned for her children's literature. Her works are known for their warmth, humor, and profound emotional depth, making them highly popular with readers. Born on March 25, 1964, DiCamillo's writing career began in the field of children's literature and has since expanded into adult literature.

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Famous Kate DiCamillo Quotes

“I have done quite a few signings at bookstores, libraries and conferences. I have received phone calls and letters from people who liked the book.”

People Book Done Letters Library Phones Conferences Phone Calls Bookstores Signing

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“What would make me happiest is if kids read these books [Bink & Gollie] and think: there is so much to love in the world; and words are so much fun.”

Ifs Thinking World Book Kids Fun

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“I remember wanting to write a book with someone, the someone being Kate [DiCamillo], and we decided to write about two friends. We had no idea how to begin this project - neither of us had ever collaborated with another writer - and I'm pretty sure that we began by giving our two friends a sock, just to see what they'd do with it. And it went from there.”

Giving Writing Two Book Ideas Remember Projects Decided No Idea Sock Kate Two Friends

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“May God strike me down with a hammer on the head before I write a book with a teach-y goal!”

Writing May Book Goal Teach Strikes Hammers

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“What I hope is that the book [Bink & Gollie] delights children. What I hope is that they laugh and laugh and laugh, just as we did when we wrote them.”

Children Book Laughing Delight

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“For children: I'm writing a picture book about the Big Dipper and a novel about a cricket, a firefly and a vole. For grownups: I'm writing poems.”

Writing Children Book Bigs Novel Cricket Picture Books Grownups Firefly Writing Poems

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“We [me and Alison McGhee] probably wouldn't have said that when we were writing the stories, but it is so apparent to me in the finished product. For me, looking at Bink, it's like looking at myself on the page in a way that I've never experienced with any other book that I've written.”

Way Writing Said Book Stories Written Products Pages Finished

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“It's a book [Bink & Gollie] about shortness and tallness, so I think it's appropriate to discuss the virtues of shortness.”

Thinking Book Virtue Appropriate Shortness

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“Love is in all of the books, and that's the connective tissue between them. There's a lot of hope in me; I can feel it. These stories are balls of light for me.”

Feels I Can Book Stories Light Love Is Balls Tissues

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“When it is my editor telling me how to rewrite a story, I listen and do what she asks because I have learned that I get a better book in the end. I can't say I'm happy when I read that editorial letter. It is always a little painful and scary. But I have learned that - bit by bit - I can make the changes and do the work.”

Littles I Can Book Ends Stories Asks Bits Letters Painful Scary Editors I Have Learned Editorials

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“Anybody who puts a book into someone else's hands inspires me - teachers, librarians, booksellers, parents.”

Book Hands Parent Teacher Inspire Librarian Booksellers

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“In the beginning of the book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, Edward is more enamored of himself than he is of anybody else. He's a very fine rabbit; he's been constructed incredibly well, and he has a wardrobe of amazing clothing. He's arrogant, and he doesn't care whether Abilene loves him or not. As the journey progresses, as he gets passed from hand to hand, he learns what it means to love. He gets more and more bedraggled, and his clothing is lost; yet he becomes finer in soul and heart than he was at the beginning of the journey.”

Wells Heart Mean Book Soul Hands Care Lost Progress Journey Fine Clothings Arrogant Miraculous Rabbits Wardrobe Enamored He Doesn't Care Edward Tulane Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“Most of my books begin with an image or a voice - one small thing - and I don't know what it is going to become.”

Knows Book Voice Small Things

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“The themes in my books, like in life, are about grace and redemption and you never know when they're going to show up and what form they're going to be in. Stories emerge from keeping your heart open to the people that cross in front of you or the dogs or the mice, and their ability to open you up and enrich your life.”

People Knows Heart Book Stories Shows Form Ability Grace Dog Fronts Crosses Redemption Theme Mice

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“I grew up in Florida, and I wanted to go home and I couldn't. I didn't have the money. The book [The Tiger Rising] was a way to go home.”

Way Book Home Wanted Grew Grew Up Rising Florida Tigers

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“All of that loneliness and longing in my heart got transferred into the book Because of Winn-Dixie, I guess.”

Heart Book Loneliness My Heart Longing Dixie

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“On the return flight from my mother in Florida , I sat next to a businessman who asked me what I did for a living. I said, "I write," and it seemed totally ridiculous in the face of what had just happened. I mean, I couldn't think of anything more pointless than telling stories. He asked, "What do you write?" I said, "I write children books."”

Thinking Writing Mean Children Said Book Stories Faces Mother Next Happened Return Ridiculous Flight Sat Florida Businessman Pointless Telling Stories Children Book Childrens Book

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“The image I had was very clear, and so in that way The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane began like other books.”

Way Book Clear Journey Miraculous Edward Tulane Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“The book [The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane] is about the fact that living in this world means that your heart is necessarily going to get broken. But the book also says that's okay. That's the only way to live a truly human life - with your heart getting broken - and eventually getting flooded with love.”

World Way Humans Heart Mean Book Facts Journey This World Broken Okay Human Life Miraculous Way To Live Edward Tulane Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“Nothing new ever happens in the books. It's the same old theme.”

Book Happens Theme Nothing New

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“The funny thing is, when I've gone through the relentless editing process, my editor and I are amazed the Mercy Watson books still make us laugh. The same jokes that made us laugh the first time around still make us laugh in the 16th rendition.”

Firsts Made Stills Book Process Laughing Gone Jokes First Time Mercy Editors Editing Amazed Funny Things Relentless Watson

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“As a kid books changed how I looked at the world and helped me understand things. Books still deepen me and open my heart.”

World Heart Stills Book Kids Changed My Heart Books For Kids

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“As far as books getting turned into movies, I fared very, very well.”

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“Wayne Wang, the director of Because of Winn-Dixie the movie, understood the book and transferred as much of the feeling of the book onto film as humanly possible. I think he did a fabulous job. And also I'm thrilled because the movie brings people to the book - people that wouldn't know about the book - and that's a great thing.”

People Thinking Knows Book Feelings Jobs Film Directors Understood Great Things Fabulous Wayne Dixie

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“I read my books out loud to myself because of the demands of the story and demands of language.”

Book Stories Language Demand Loud

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“I love words; I love the way they sound. Once I've worked on everything else, the last drafts of my books come down to how they sound.”

Way Book Lasts Sound

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“When I get to a point in my book writing when I don't know what I'm going to do next, I'll come back look at underlined passages and see if the images I wrote still have a certain amount of resonance for me.”

Ifs Knows Writing Looks Stills Book Certain Next Amount Passages Resonance Book Writing

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“Reading a story should be a fabulous, wonderful thing. The most important thing that parents can do for kids is to read with them and to let their kids see them reading books for their own pleasure.”

Should Important Book Stories Kids Reading Parent Can Do Pleasure Wonderful Important Things Reading Books Fabulous Wonderful Things

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“I'm grateful for every teacher or librarian who reads a book and says, "This is exactly the book that so-and-so needs to read; I'll get it in his hands." I'm amazed at the network of adults who make sure that kids get books.”

Needs Book Hands Kids Teacher Adults Grateful Amazed Librarian

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“There's nothing more fabulous than an adult saying to you, "I think that you might like this one [book]." So I'm grateful every time that happens. It's an amazing thing that people care that passionately.”

People Thinking Book Might Happens Care Adults Grateful Fabulous Amazing Things

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“I'm just doing what I've done my whole life, which is talking to people about books and making them read. It's what I do in my friendships. "Here, you have to read this, you have to read this."”

People Book Done Whole Talking Whole Life My Friendship

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“That you can go anywhere in America and get a book from a library is just the most amazing thing in the world. It's not a duty; it's a privilege and it's a joy. That joy is doubled and tripled and quadrupled if you read with other people.”

People Ifs World Book America Joy Duty Library Privilege Amazing Things Most Amazing

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“I think, oh my god, kids are reading, and they care about a book enough to come over and talk to me about a book that they care about. If I think about it as being a celebrity, it would freak me out. But I just think, lucky me, that I get to be a part of this whole thing.”

Ifs Thinking Book Enough Whole Care Kids Reading Lucky Freak Talk To Me

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“To me the book is like having a kid. I have to let it go out in the world, and great things will happen. Maybe they won't, but it has to keep on moving.”

World Book Happens Kids Moving Great Things Keep Moving Let It Go

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“We forget that the simple gesture of putting a book in someone's hands can change a life. I want to remind you that it can. I want to thank you because it did. - 2010 Indies Choice Award”

Want Book Hands Choices Simple Forget Awards Gestures

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“I didn't start working on children's books until I got a job at a book warehouse on the children's floor. When I started reading some of the books, I was so impressed.”

Children Book Jobs Reading Reading Books Impressed Children's Books Warehouse

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“Every well-written book is a light for me. When you write, you use other writers and their books as guides in the wilderness.”

Writing Wells Book Use Light Written Guides Wilderness Well Written

Author:Kate DiCamillo

“Hands down, the biggest thrill is to get a letter from a kid saying, I loved your book. Will you write me another one?”

Writing Book Hands Kids Letters Thrill

Author:Kate DiCamillo

About the Author

Born: March 25, 1964
Known for: Writer
Quotes: 299

Related Topics

Writing Stories Book Thinking World Despereaux Ifs Said Way Heart Knows People Reader Light Kids Children Reading Wonderful I Can Two

Popular Topics

People Ifs Thinking Knows Men World Way Want Love Life Inspirational Needs Giving Feels Should Writing Trying Years Mind Firsts

Books & Sources

The Essential Kate DiCamillo CollectionRelated source material

The Tale of Despereaux: Being the Story of a Mouse, a Princess, Some Soup, and a Spool of ThreadRelated source material

The Miraculous Journey of Edward TulaneRelated source material

The Beatryce ProphecyRelated source material

The Tale of DespereauxRelated source material

Flora & Ulysses: The Illuminated AdventuresRelated source material

Raymie NightingaleRelated source material

Because of Winn-DixieRelated source material

The Magician's ElephantRelated source material

FerrisRelated source material

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