“Where there is work to do, turn your hand to it first; the men will follow. Some of you, I see, have erected tents. Strike them at once. We will all sleep as I do, in the open. Keep your men busy. ”
″‘I happen to be a turnupstuffer, so of course I never have a free moment.’
‘What did you say you were?’ asked Annika.
‘A turnupstuffer.’
‘What’s that?’ asked Tommy.
‘Somebody who finds the stuff that turns up, if only you look of course. What else would it be?’ said Pippi...”
“She has to do a lot of thinking about accident victims, because they have acquired brain injuries... So her thinking quota is just about used up by the time she gets home and she can’t be thinking thoughtful thoughts about me and Ricci, and Caramella with a sprained ankle.”
Graphically, these collage-like pages are as busy and spontaneous as Child’s (I Want a Pet) exuberant, self-assured heroine. Stylized, childlike drawings appear against backdrops of flowered wallpaper, linoleum tile and photographs, while the text’s fonts change as quickly and randomly as the amusingly opinionated Clarice’s thoughts.
“In the meanwhile, of course, I was keeping real busy collecting the eggs of the three-eyelashed Tizzy. They’re quite hard to reach, so I rode on the top of a Ham-ikka-Schnim-ikka-Schnam-ikka Schnoop.”
“The moon was now shining brightly and all the bush was hushed, except for the sound of those little animals who are always busy at night-time. Angelina sniffed the night air with delight and felt very happy as she thought of the baby in her pouch.”
“Her father didn’t have time to take her to see one at the zoo. He didn’t have time for anything. He went to work every day before Hannah went to school, and in the evening he worked at home. When Hannah asked him a question, he would say, ‘Not now, I’m busy, maybe tomorrow.’ “
“Rashid Khalifa was so busy making up and telling stories that he didn’t notice that Soraya no longer sang; which probably made things worse. But then Rashid was a busy man, in constant demand, he was the Ocean of Notions, the famous Shah de Blah. And what with all his rehearsals and performance, Rashid was so often on stage that he lost track of what was going on in his own home.”
“At first, Angela ignored Old Tom’s childish pranks. After all, she had things to do and dishes to wash. But her heart sank when someone forgot his manners. Old Tom tied to be good...”
“They were all so busy: and after all, no one had said she mustn’t. Beth would like to see Rita’s necklace... and Rita’s look said she would like Lexie to wear it for her, when she went to stay with the Malleys.”
″‘You can carry the provisions,’ he said, ‘because you haven’t got anything else to do, have you? I’m too busy to think about things like that when I’m the Path Pioneer.‘”
“Well, Milly-Molly-Mandy’s legs were short, as I’ve told you, but they were very lively, just right for running errands. So Milly-Molly-Mandy was quite busy, fetching and carrying things, and taking messages.”