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Quote by Katherine Paterson

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The Invisible Child: On Reading and Writing Books for Children

This book delves into the intricacies of crafting stories that resonate with children, examining the techniques and considerations that distinguish children's literature from other genres. It offers insights into the creative process, the importance of imagination, and the role of storytelling in the development of young minds. more

Author

Katherine Paterson
Katherine Paterson

Katherine Paterson is an esteemed American children's literature author known for her profound emotions and rich imagination. Her works have won numerous top awards in the American children's literature field, such as the Newbery Medal. Born on October 31, 1932, Paterson's works cover a variety of themes from historical novels to modern life, enjoying great popularity among readers. more

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“The gift of creative reading, like all natural gifts, must be nourished or it will atrophy. And you nourish it, in much the same way you nourish the gift of writing - you read, think, talk, look, listen, hate, fear, love, weep - and bring all of your life like a sieve to what you read. That which is not worthy of your gift will quickly pass through, but the gold remains.”

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Book:The Invisible Child: On Reading and Writing Books for Children
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“A good story is alive, ever changing and growing as it meets each listener or reader in a spirited and unique encounter, while the moralistic tale is not only dead on arrival, it's already been embalmed. It's safer that way. When a lively story goes dancing out to meet the imagination of a child, the teller loses control over meaning. The child gets to decide what the story means.”

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Author:Katherine Paterson
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“He [an earnest young reporter] seemed to share the view of many intelligent, well-educated, well-meaning people that, while adult literature may aim to be art, the object of children's books is to whip the little rascals into shape.”

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Book:Read for Your Life #18
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“When people ask me what qualifies me to be a writer for children, I say I was once a child. But I was not only a child, I was, better still, a weird little kid, and though I would never choose to give my own children this particular preparation for life, there are few things, apparently, more helpful to a writer than having once been a weird little kid.”

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Book:Read for Your Life #18
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“A friend of mine who writes history books said to me that he thought that the two creatures most to be pitied were the spider and the novelist - their lives hanging by a thread spun out of their own guts. But in some ways I think writers of fiction are the creatures most to be envied, because who else besides the spider is allowed to take that fragile thread and weave it into a pattern? What a gift of grace to be able to take the chaos from within and from it to create some semblance of order.”

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Author:Katherine Paterson
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