Diane Stanley > Quotes

“And I’ll wager you thought him the handsomest thing that ever you saw in your life.”

“I did. And if you stuck him, and stuffed him, and hung him on the wall, I’d be very glad to admire him. But in life he’s an arrogant pig, and I didn’t care for him at all. ‘Mind who you look at, wench.’ Foo!”
― Diane Stanley, The Silver Bowl

“That's quite a pile," he said. "I suppose you want me to spin it into gold."
"Well, the situation has changed just a bit," said the miller's daughter (who also had a name--it was Meredith). "If you don't, I will die. If you do, I marry the king."
Now that, thought Rumpelstiltskin, has possibilities. After all, getting to be the queen was a big step up for a miller's daughter. She would surely pay him anything. And there was only one thing in the world he really wanted--a little child to love and care for.
"Okay, here's the deal," he said. "I will spin the straw into gold, just like before. In return, once you become queen, you must let me adopt your firstborn child. I promise I'll be an excellent father. I know all the lullabies. I'll read to the child every day. I'll even coach Little League."
"You've got to be kidding," Meredith said. "I'd rather marry you than that jerk!"
"Really?" said Rumpelstiltskin, and he blushed all the way from the top of his head to the tip of his toes (which admittedly wasn't very far, because he was so short).
"Sure," she said. "I like your ideas on parenting, you'd make a good provider, and I have a weakness for short men.”
― Diane Stanley, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter: A Humorous Classic About Cleverness, Kindness, and Outwitting Greed for Children

“On Sunday we didn’t work at all. That was the Lord’s Day. As soon as we heard the drum beating, we knew it was time for church. We met at the house of Captain Myles Standish, the military leader of the colony. Then we lined up by threes and marched to church. Everybody in town was expected to go (even if they weren’t church members), and the service lasted all morning. Then after lunch (which they called dinner) we went back for three more hours!”
― Diane Stanley, Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation: A Fun Picture Book About Life with Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621 for Kids (Ages 4-8)

“Do they suit me? asked the king as he tried them on.
"Absolutely," said Rumpelstiltskin's daughter.
The guards just stood there, gnashing their teeth, clutching their swords, and peering about with shifty eyes.
"Don't you think it's time you got rid of them?" she suggested. "And the walls and the moat and the crocodiles, too. You don't need them anymore--your people love you now.”
― Diane Stanley, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter: A Humorous Classic About Cleverness, Kindness, and Outwitting Greed for Children

“Rumpelstiltskin's daughter was taken at once to the grand chamber where the king sat on his golden throne. He didn't waste time on idle pleasantries.
"Where did you get this?" he asked, showing her the gold.
"Uh...," said Rumpelstiltskin's daughter.
"I thought so," said the king. "Guards, take her to the tower and see what she can do with all that straw.”
― Diane Stanley, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter: A Humorous Classic About Cleverness, Kindness, and Outwitting Greed for Children

“Mom and Dad decided to drive out into the country
to get some apple cider at Whipple’s Orchard.
They asked if we wanted to come along.
We said we’d rather stay home with Grandma.
Then, as soon as they pulled out of the driveway,
we begged Grandma to take us somewhere.

“My turn! My turn! I want to visit her!”
“Why, Liz, what a great choice! That’s Remember Allerton. She was your grandpa’s great-great-great-great-well, I forget exactly how many greats it was--aunt. She was one of the Pilgrims who came over on the Mayflower.”
“Remember? What a weird name!”
“That’s nothing! I know a dog named Sparkplug.”

When you travel back in time, you have to put on the kind of clothes that people wore back then. If you don’t, they’ll think you’re really strange.

“I have to wear three layers? I’ll bake!”
“Trust me, Lenny. You’ll be happy to have them. No central heating, you know.”
“Hey, I thought Pilgrims always wore black suits and big hats with buckles on them.”
“Nope. They dressed like ordinary working people of their time--and they liked to wear colors, same as anybody else. Of course, on Sundays they put on their best suits and fancy collars.”
― Diane Stanley, Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation: A Fun Picture Book About Life with Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621 for Kids (Ages 4-8)

“It’s a pity we have no beer for you. We ran out nearly a year ago. But you need not fear the water. It is very wholesome here.”
“Pilgrim kids drank beer for breakfast?”
“Back in England their water was very polluted and wasn’t safe to drink. Beer was actually healthier.”
― Diane Stanley, Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation: A Fun Picture Book About Life with Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621 for Kids (Ages 4-8)

“The house was just one big room with a fireplace at one end. That’s where they did their cooking. It was dark inside because the windows were small. And they didn’t even have glass in them--just paper soaked in linseed oil. The floor was made of packed-down dirt. There weren’t enough chairs for everybody, so we sat down on whatever was handy.

“Yikes, it’s cold in here. And--ouch!--something just bit me!”
“Sorry, dear. Could be fleas. Could be lice.”
“You’ve got to be kidding!”
― Diane Stanley, Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation: A Fun Picture Book About Life with Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621 for Kids (Ages 4-8)

“The next day, the king was very disappointed. "Where's my gold?" he wanted to know.
"I'm sure you have rooms full of it upstairs," said Rumpelstiltskin's daughter. And she was right. He did.
"But I want more!" he said. "And I want you to make it for me."
"Alas," she said. "I never made gold in my life. But"--and here she paused for effect--"I saw my grandfather make it." When the king's face brightened, she added, "He died years ago."
"Surely you remember how he did it," cried the king. "Think! Think!"
"Well," she said slowly, "there is one thing I'm sure of. He didn't spin it, he grew it.”
― Diane Stanley, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter: A Humorous Classic About Cleverness, Kindness, and Outwitting Greed for Children

“Which one’s the minister?”
“We don’t have one yet. Until we do, Master Brewster acts as our religious leader. He’s our ruling elder, you see.”
“You know who he is, dear--he’s Love and Wrestling Brewster’s father.”
“Yeah, I was wondering about them. I mean, Love is a pretty weird name, especially for a boy, but at least it’s kind of nice. But why would anyone name their kid Wrestling?”
“I believe it’s short for Wrestling-with-the-Devil.”
“I take it back. That definitely beats Sparkplug.”
― Diane Stanley, Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation: A Fun Picture Book About Life with Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621 for Kids (Ages 4-8)

“Looking out the window, the king saw crowds of happy villagers waiting there to greet him, cheering wildly as he passed. And every one of them was warm as toast in yellow woolly clothes.
"Gold!" cried the king.
"Something better than gold," said Rumpelstiltskin's daughter. "Your people will be warm all winter."
Everyone brought presents for the king. By the time he got back to his palace, he had seventeen sweaters, forty-two mufflers, eight vests, one pair of knickers, one hundred and thirty-five pairs of socks, twelve nightcaps, and a tam-o'-shanter. All the color of gold.”
― Diane Stanley, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter: A Humorous Classic About Cleverness, Kindness, and Outwitting Greed for Children

“The Puritans didn’t have anything in their worship service that wasn’t mentioned in the Bible. So there weren’t any prayer books or hymns. There wasn’t an altar with candles. There wasn’t any heat, either, so some people brought little foot warmers filled with burning coals. We kids sat with the women and were expected to keep quiet. The only time we got to open our mouths was to sing psalms and say “Amen.”

“This doesn’t look like a church--it looks more like a storeroom.”
“It is a storeroom. But the building isn’t important. It is the people who are the church.”
“Children--hush!”
― Diane Stanley, Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation: A Fun Picture Book About Life with Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621 for Kids (Ages 4-8)

“It's confusing to love people," Ginny said. "But I think it's worth it.”
― Diane Stanley, A Time Apart

“It seemed like everything we did had to do with food. As soon as breakfast was over, the women got busy cooking the mail meal of the day, which was served at noon. The rest of us went out to collect food. In the fields we gathered corn, then brought it back to the house, where we hung it up until it was needed to grind into cornmeal.

“Yow! That’s a lot of salt! Why are you doing that?”
“Salt dries out the fish and preserves it--so it will last through the winter.”

“This is weird-looking corn--it’s all different colors!”
“It’s Indian corn, child. It grows much better here than our English grains. And it will feed us through the winter.”
― Diane Stanley, Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation: A Fun Picture Book About Life with Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621 for Kids (Ages 4-8)

“Now tell the farmer he must plant this gold coin in his field, and you will come back in the fall to collect everything it has grown. Tell him you will give him another gold coin for his pains," she whispered.
"Do I have to?" the king whined.
"Well, I don't know," she said. "That's how my grandfather always did it."
"Okay," said the king. "But this better work." He gave the farmer two gold coins, and they hurried on to the next farm. By the end of the week they had covered the entire kingdom.”
― Diane Stanley, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter: A Humorous Classic About Cleverness, Kindness, and Outwitting Greed for Children

“After dinner, the king spoke. "That was all very nice, my dear," he said, "but you must have been mistaken. That was how your grandfather grew food, not how he made gold."
"Right," she said as she pulled her shawl tightly around her shoulders and gazed longingly at the fire. Even in the palace she could feel the chill of autumn. Time for phase two, she thought.
"Of course you're right," she said. "I told you it was long ago. But I think I remember now. He didn't grow gold. He knitted it with golden knitting needles.”
― Diane Stanley, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter: A Humorous Classic About Cleverness, Kindness, and Outwitting Greed for Children

“As soon as we were dressed, Grandma put on her magic hat and we all held hands and closed our eyes.
She told us to take a deep breath--then, all of a sudden, everything felt different. There was a cool breeze and the air smelled woodsy.

“Plymouth Plantation, here we come!”
“Where we get to meet our forefathers!”
“And our foremothers.”
“And our foredogs.”

“So we’re in Massachusetts, right?”
“Northern Virginia, actually.”
“Virginia? You’re kidding!”
“No, dear. See this big area--from modern North Carolina all the way up to Maine? Well, back in 1621, the English called all of it Virginia. But the northern part of Virginia they called New England.”
― Diane Stanley, Thanksgiving on Plymouth Plantation: A Fun Picture Book About Life with Pilgrims and Native Americans in 1621 for Kids (Ages 4-8)

“All through the summer the king was restless. "Is it time yet?" he would ask. "Is the gold ripe?"
"Wait," said Rumpelstiltskin's daughter.
Finally August came and went.
"Now," she said. "Now you can go and see what has grown in the fields."
So once again they piled into the glittering coach (with two guards up front and two guards behind) and brought along wagons to carry the gold and a lot more guards to protect it.
As they neared the first farm, the king gasped with joy. The field shone golden in the morning sun.
"Gold!" he cried.
"No," said Rumpelstiltskin's daughter, "something better than gold."
"How can anything be better than gold?" said the king.
"It's wheat," she said. "You can eat it. You can't eat gold.”
― Diane Stanley, Rumpelstiltskin's Daughter: A Humorous Classic About Cleverness, Kindness, and Outwitting Greed for Children