"It's hard not to immediately fall in love with a dog who has a good sense of humor." (Chapter 1, page 12)

"My daddy is a good preacher and a nice man, but sometimes it's hard for me to think about him as my daddy, because he spends so much time preaching or thinking about preaching or getting ready to preach." (Chapter 2, page 13)

"Sometimes he reminded me of a turtle hiding inside its shell, in there thinking about things and not ever sticking his head out into the world." (Chapter 2, page 16)

"They say he's still hoping she'll come back. But he doesn't tell me that. He won't talk to me about her at all. I want to know more about her. But I'm afraid to ask the preacher; I'm afraid he'll get mad at me." (Chapter 2, page 22)

"And when the mouse tried to get away, Winn-Dixie put his paw right...