As someone who loves reading biographies and autobiographies about interesting people throughout history, especially about my favorite writers, I love keeping a commonplace book where I record these inspiring quotes and can refer back to them. 

I also keep a daily 2-line journal that has 5 years of space and a quote each day from Jane Austen. On days when I only have time to jot a quick sentence or two down, it's there for me by my bedside. And on days when I don't even have the energy for that simple task, Miss Austen can still inspire me with a little quote that always hits just right.  

Here are some fun antidotes and quotes from some of the best children's authors:

1. Beverly Cleary’s Chicken Trouble

 In her memoir A Girl from Yamhill, Beverly Cleary tells how, as a child, she brought her neighbor’s live chicken to school for show-and-tell. The classroom chaos that followed feels like it could have been a scene straight out of her Ramona books.

2. Roald Dahl’s Chocolate

 As a boy, Roald Dahl and his classmates were sometimes asked to taste-test new chocolates from Cadbury. That sweet memory later became the inspritaion for his famous story Charlie and the Chocolate Factory.

3. Dr. Seuss’s Hat Collection

 Dr. Seuss loved hats so much that he kept a secret closet full of hundreds of them. His fascination with funny headwear inspired The 500 Hats of Bartholomew Cubbins, one of his earliest picture books.

4. Astrid Lindgren and the Birth of Pippi

 Astrid Lindgren invented Pippi Longstocking on the spot when her daughter, home sick in bed, asked for a new story. What began as a playful bedtime tale became one of the most beloved children’s books of all time.

5. Maurice Sendak’s Eaten Drawing

 Maurice Sendak, author of Where the Wild Things Are, once received a letter from a young fan and sent back a drawing. The child was so delighted he ate the picture. Sendak said it was the greatest compliment he’d ever received.

6. Dav Pilkey’s Detention Doodles

 Dav Pilkey created Captain Underpants while sitting in detention as a boy. Instead of sulking, he spent the time drawing silly superhero cartoons that grew into one of the funniest, most popular children’s series ever.

7. Judy Blume’s Fan Mail Exchange

 The flood of letters Judy Blume received from kids eventually led her to publish Letters to Judy, a collection of heartfelt notes. At one point, a publishing mix-up even caused her to accidentally receive some of Beverly Cleary’s fan mail, which they shared and laughed about.

8. Shel Silverstein’s “Messy Room”

 In his poetry collection A Light in the Attic, Shel Silverstein wrote “Messy Room,” a poem about socks on lamps, coats on chairs, and books jammed into closets. Kids loved it because it sounded exactly like their own rooms.

9. E.B. White and His Spider

 E.B. White, the author of Charlotte’s Web, was inspired to write the story after observing a spider spinning its web in the corner of his barn. He grew so fond of his little muse that he refused to knock down cobwebs in his house.

10. Kate DiCamillo’s Storytelling Habit

 Kate DiCamillo, beloved for Because of Winn-Dixie, has often said she was always making up dramatic stories as a child, performing them for friends and family. That childhood habit of turning everyday life into theater is what shaped her gift for storytelling.