Robert McCloskey Quotes

“When at last she felt perfectly satisfied with them, she said one morning: ‘Come along, children. Follow me.’ ”

“So they chose a cozy spot among the bushes near the water and settled down to build their nest.”

″ ‘Don’t you worry,’ said Mrs. Mallard. ‘I know all about bringing up children.’ And she did.”

“They made such a noise that Michael came running, waving his arms and blowing his whistle. He planted himself in the center of the road, raised one hand to stop the traffic, and then beckoned with the other, the way policemen do, for Mrs. Mallard to cross over.”

“One day they swam over to the park on the river bank, and there they met a policeman called Michael. Michael fed them peanuts, and after that the Mallards called on Michael every day. ”

“Everyone stared. An old lady from Beacon Hill said: ‘Isn’t it amazing!’ and the man who swept the streets said: ‘Well, now ain’t that nice!’ and when Mrs. Mallard heard them she was so proud she tipped her nose in the air and walked along with an extra swing in her waddle.”

“Why don’t we build a nest and raise our ducklings right in this pond? There are no foxes and no turtles, and the people feed us peanuts. What could be better?”

“Inside the gate they all turned round to say thank you to the policemen. The policemen smiled and waved good-by.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were bursting with pride. It was a great responsibility taking care of so many ducklings, and it kept them very busy.”

“The ducklings liked the new island so much that they decided to live there. All day long they follow the swan boats and eat peanuts.”

“Little Bear padded up and peeked into her pail. Of course, he only wanted to taste a few of what was inside, but there were so many and they were so close together, that he tasted a Tremendous Mouthful by mistake. ‘Now, Sal,’ said Little Sal’s mother without turning around, ‘you run along and pick your own berries. Mother wants to can these for next winter.’ Little Bear tasted another Tremendous Mouthful, and almost spilled the entire pail of blueberries.”

“She picked three more berries and ate them. Then she picked more berries and dropped one in the pail-kuplunk! And the rest she ate. Then Little Sal ate all four blueberries out of her pail!”

“Little Bear and Little Sal’s mother and Little Sal and Little Bear’s mother were all mixed up with each other among the blueberries on Blueberry Hill.”

“Her mother went back to her picking, but Little Sal, because her feet were tired of standing and walking, sat down in the middle of a large clump of bushes and ate blueberries.”

“She hadn’t gone very far before she heard a kuplunk! Kuplunk! Kuplunk! She knew just what made that kind of noise!”

“On the other side of Blueberry Hill, Little Bear came with his mother to eat blueberries. ‘Little Bear,’ she said, ‘eat lots of berries and grow big and fat. We must store up food for the long, cold winter’. “

“Little Sal brought along her small tin pail and her mother brought her large tin pail to put berries in. ‘We will take our berries home and can them’, said her mother. ‘Then we will have food for the winter’. “

“her mother walked slowly through the bushes, picking blueberries as she went and putting them in her pail. Little Sal struggled along behind, picking blueberries and eating every single one.”

“Because his feet were tired of hustling, he picked out a large clump of bushes and sat down right in the middle and ate blueberries.”

“Little Bear’s mother turned around to see what on earth could make a noise like kuplunk! ‘Garumpf!’ she cried, choking on a mouthful of berries, ‘This is not my child! Where is Little Bear?’ She took one good look and backed away. (She was old enough to she shy of people, even a very small person like Little Sal.) Then she turned around and walked off very fast to hunt for Little Bear.”

“But when your tooth does come out, you put it under your pillow and make a wish, and your wish is supposed to come true.”

“One morning in Maine, Sal woke up. She peeked over the top of the covers. The bright sunlight made her blink, so she pulled the covers up and was just about to go back to sleep when she remember, ‘today is the day I am going to Buck’s Harbor with my father!’ ”

″ ‘But you mustn’t tell anybody your wish, or it won’t come true,’ cautioned her mother. ‘It’s supposed to be a secret wish.’ ”

″...when she started to brush her teeth something felt very strange! One of her teeth felt loose! She wiggled it with her tongue, then she wiggled it with her finger.”

″ ‘I guess some clam will find my tooth and get what I wished for,’ said Sal. ‘If we come back here tomorrow and I find a clam eating a chocolate ice-cream cone, why, we’ll have to take it away from him and make him give my tooth back too,’ she said.”

″ ‘Our wishes were all used up...besides, Jane, two ice-cream cones would ruin your appetite. When we get home we’re going to have clam chowder for lunch!’ ”

“That means that today you’ve become a big girl. Everybody’s baby teeth get loose and come out when they grow up. A nice new bigger and better tooth will grow in when this one comes out.”

″ ‘Why it’s gone!’ she said sadly, feeling once more just to make sure. The loose tooth was really and truly gone. The salty mud from her fingers tasted bitter, and she made a bitter-tasting face that was almost a face like crying.”

″ ‘Ma-a-a-ma!’ she cried. ‘One of my teeth is loose! It will hurt and I’ll have to stay in bed! I won’t be able to eat my breakfast and go with daddy to Buck’s Harbor!’ ”

“She paused to watch some sea gulls having breakfast. They were dropping mussels down on a rock to crack the mussel shells, just like nuts. Then they flew down to eat the insides.”

“The Mallards mistake the swan boat for a real bird and enjoy peanuts thrown by the people on the boat. Mrs. Mallard suggests that they build their nest in the Public Garden.”

“The Mallards finally decide on an island in the Charles River. From this island, the Mallards visit a policeman named Michael on the shore, who feeds them peanuts every day.”

“Shortly thereafter, the Mallards molt, and will not be able to fly until their new feathers grow again, and Mrs. Mallard hatches eight ducklings named Jack, Kack, Lack, Mack, Nack, Ouack, Pack, and Quack.”

“The story begins as two ducks (Mr. and Mrs. Mallard) fly over various potential locations in New England to start a family. Each time Mr. Mallard selects a location, Mrs. Mallard finds something wrong with it. ”

“After the ducklings are born, Mr. Mallard decides to take a trip up the river to see what the rest of it is like. Mr. and Mrs. Mallard agree to meet at the Public Garden in one week.”

“The Mallards continue their search, flying over Boston landmarks such as Beacon Hill, the Massachusetts State House, and Louisburg Square.”

“Tired from their search, the mallards land at the Public Garden Lagoon to spend the night. In the morning, a swan boat passes by the mallards.”

“However, just as she says this, her husband is nearly run down by a passing bicyclist. The Mallards continue their search...”

“There were sure to be foxes in the woods or turtles in the water, and she was not going to raise a family where there might be foxes or turtles. So they flew on and on.”

“Mr. and Mrs. Mallard were bursting with pride. It was a great responsibility taking care of so many ducklings, and it kept them very busy. She taught them how to swim and dive.”

“She taught them to walk in a line, to come when they were called, and to keep a safe distance from bikes and scooters and other things with wheels. When at last she felt perfectly satisfied with them, she said one morning, ‘Come along children. Follow me.”