Best opening line of a children's book?

[ScoutTN]

I am rereading The Voyage of the Dawn Treader in preparation for seeing the movie and was struck once again with the excellent first line,

 

There was a boy called Eustace Clarence Scrubb, and he almost deserved it.

 

Any other favorites?

[1bassoon]

No fair! You took mine! ;)

[secular_mom]

The one I remember is:

"There was a hand in the dark, and it held a knife."- The Graveyard Book

[abbeyej]

Can it be a two-sentence line? ;)

 

In a hole in the ground there lived a hobbit. Not a nasty, dirty, wet hole, filled with the ends of worms and an oozy smell, nor yet a dry, bare, sandy hole with nothing in it to sit down on or to eat: it was a hobbit-hole, and that means comfort.

 

[secular_mom]

Can it be a two-sentence line? ;)

*smacks forehead* Well DUH, that is like the BESTEST opening line. How could I have forgotten that one?:tongue_smilie:

[BikeBookBread]

Once there were four children whose names were Peter, Susan, Edmund and Lucy. This story is about something that happened to them when they were sent away from London during the war because of the air-raids.

 

Two lines, but well, you know...

 

I just love this phrase in the second sentence: ...about *something* that happened... delicious understatement!

[Remudamom]

I can't think of how it went, but didn't "A Series of Unfortunate Events" have a rather interesting opening?

[Kathleen in VA]

How about the first line to Understood Betsy?

 

When this story begins, Elizabeth Ann, who is the heroine of it, was a little girl of nine, who lived with her Great-aunt Harriet in a medium-sized city in a medium-sized state in the middle of ths country; and that's all you need to know about the place, for it's not the important thing in the story; and anyhow you kinow all about it because it was probably very much like the place you live in yourself.

[Belacqua]

Not as weighty as most of the already mentioned books, but I'm partial to the first line of Millicent Min, Girl Genius:

 

"I have been accused of being anal retentive, an overachiever, and a compulsive perfectionist, like those are bad things."

 

I also like the opening to Kevin Henkes's picture book, Chester's Way:

 

"Chester had his own way of doing things."

[Ibbygirl]

Once upon a time there was....

"A king?" did I hear you cry?

But if you did cry "king" children, you were wrong. Because once upon a time there was.....

..... a piece of wood.

 

from Pinocchio. I liked this line when I read it and although I'm sure other great opening lines to children's stories I've read in my life, this is the one I could think of. :tongue_smilie:

[NanceXToo]

I can't think of how it went, but didn't "A Series of Unfortunate Events" have a rather interesting opening?

 

Yes. It says: "If you are interested in stories with happy endings, you would be better off reading some other book."

[kalanamak]

In an old house in Paris all covered with vines

Lived 12 little girls in two straight lines.

[Brenda in FL]

"The Herdmans were absolutely the worst kids in the history of the world."

[funschooler5]

"Where's Papa going with that axe?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.

 

-Charlotte's Web

[Jen in PA]

I have always loved the fact that the first line of A Wrinkle in Time is "It was a dark and stormy night." :001_smile:

[Parrothead]

"The sun did not shine, it was too wet to play."

- Dr. Seuss

 

 

I also like,

"I am Eloise. I am six. I am an only child. I live at the Plaza."

- Kay Thompson

Edited December 4, 2010 by Parrothead

[LibraryLover]

I admit I had to check for accuracy, because it's long, and perhaps not as good as some---but, this is what first came to me:

 

"Most motorcars are conglomerations (that is a long word for bundles) of steel and wire and rubber and plastic, and electricity and oil and gasoline and water, and the toffee papers you pushed down in the back seat last Sunday."

Edited December 8, 2010 by LibraryLover

[Caitilin]

The Mole had been working hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home; first with brooms, then with brushes, then with ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash. (punctuation is a guess)

 

Wind in the Willows

 

We used to have this on tape when I was a small child, and it's one of my earliest memories.

 

I also love:

 

Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.

- A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

[Diane in CO]

On the 15th of May in the Jungle of Nool (sp?), in the heat of the day in the cool of the pool :D gotta love that Dr. Seuss!

[Hen]

"All children, except one, grow up."

 

-Peter Pan

[Hunter's Moon]

"It was a pleasure to burn."

- Ray Bradbury, Fahrenheit 451

 

"Once upon a time there were four little Rabbits, and their names were - Flopsy, Mopsy, Cotton-tail, and Peter."

- Beatrix Potter, The Tale of Peter Rabbit

 

I usually love the first lines of Shakespeare plays, as well.

[Jennay]

"Where's Papa going with that axe?" said Fern to her mother as they were setting the table for breakfast.

 

-Charlotte's Web

 

This is the one I thought of when I read the thread title.

[stephanier.1765]

In spirit of the season but not necessarily from a children's book, "Marley was dead: to begin with." - A Christmas Carol.

[Jamee]

I have always loved the fact that the first line of A Wrinkle in Time is "It was a dark and stormy night." :001_smile:

 

And here I always thought that was Snoopy's line.:blush: Guess I better go start reading.

[Kathleen in VA]

The Mole had been working hard all the morning, spring-cleaning his little home; first with brooms, then with brushes, then with ladders and steps and chairs, with a brush and a pail of whitewash. (punctuation is a guess)

 

Wind in the Willows

 

We used to have this on tape when I was a small child, and it's one of my earliest memories.

 

I also love:

 

Here is Edward Bear, coming downstairs now, bump, bump, bump, on the back of his head, behind Christopher Robin.

- A.A. Milne, Winnie the Pooh

 

I love the first line of Wind in the Willows too. :)

[*Jessica*]

The night Max wore his wolf suit and made mishchief of one kind and another, his mother called him "WILD THING!" and Max said, "I'll EAT YOU UP!" so he was sent to bed without eating anything.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

In the great green room, there was a telephone, and a red balloon, and a picture of. . .

[sagira]

A cow jumping over the moon.. Sorry, couldn't resist. I love Goodnight Moon!

 

One of my favorites:

 

"By the big red barn

in the great, green field,

there was a pink pig who was learning to squeal."

 

Big Red Barn

 

I also like

 

"Mr. and Mrs. Dursley, of number four, Privet Drive, were proud to say that they were perfectly normal, thank you very much. They were the last people you'd expect to be involved in anything strange or mysterious, because they just didn't hold with such nonsense."

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Edited December 5, 2010 by sagira

[elegantlion]

In the great green room, there was a telephone, and a red balloon, and a picture of. . .

 

:iagree: Not necessarily for the literary quality, but the experiences I shared with ds. We read that book 2-3 x/night for about a year. Beautiful.

[Suzanne in ABQ]

Yup. After reading it innumerable times with three children, I have long had it memorized.

 

I was happy that someone finished the sentence! :)