The more risks you allow your children to make, the better they learn to look after themselves.

You seemed so far away," Miss Honey whispered, awestruck. "Oh, I was. I was flying past the stars on silver wings," Matilda said. "It was wonderful.

A Message to Children Who Have Read This Book - When you grow up and have children of your own, do please remember something important: a stodgy parent is no fun at all. What a child wants and deserves is a parent who is SPARKY.

But there was one other thing that the grown-ups also knew, and it was this: that however small the chance might be of striking lucky, the chance is there. The chance had to be there.

Perhaps it's chasing me. But I don't think it will ever catch me because I am moving fast.

Rainbow drops - suck them and you can spit in six different colours.

We have so much time and so little to do. Strike that, reverse it.