On games to play with her friends: “Let’s go home and cry.”

On things to shout at the mall: “I’m going off wandering by myself!”

On why she’s dangling between the couch and chair: “I’m being a bad example.”

On why she’s stopping to closed her eyes for a moment while building her blanket fort: “I’m getting directions in my head.”

On the plain white cup in her bath: “Good. A space cruiser.”

On being encouraged to try some dinner through the change of heart experienced by the protagonist of Green Eggs and Ham: “He’s lying.”

On being told it’s time to brush her hair: “I can feel something coming. Something mysterious! Something really, really mysterious! Until it all runs out of gas!”

On why she’s out on the sidewalk: “We’re going to get some poisonous berries.”

On her brother exploring a scattered pile of brightly-crayoned index cards: “Gabriel! My research!”

On being told by the doctor that, because of a bang on the knee, she shouldn’t do sports or P.E. for a few days: “I can’t pee?!!”