Gloria Estefan on Friendship

"Toys are not a need people typically think of, but they've got all these kids who have absolutely nothing to do."

"I totally animal-oriented. I've got nine dogs, eight birds, turtles, fish -- and I had wallabies at one point."

". . . My best friend made this mole on my face, because she would get in a fight with me and scratch me -- by the third time the scab came off the was there . . ."

"I was 16 months old when I left Cuba, so I really don't remember anything ."

"My friends call me 'Dolittle One' ."

"We wanted to show the influence Cuban music has had on musicians from all over, so we invited 25 of the top Latin musicians in the world, and it was a great honor they paid me. Some of them are actually inventors, like Cachao, the Cuban bassist creditied with creating mambo."

"I had always thought about a lullaby album. But when Noelle came along, my little Colombian bulldog, she really gave me a plethora of ideas. I remembered when I was little in Texas and I was the only Hispanic in my class. Because the first book was about feelings, how Noelle's weaknesses turned into her strengths. That you have to keep your identity."

"The phenomenal Celia Cruz . But although she couln't be here physically , I felt her presence throughout the entire recording of the album. It's still impossible for me to feel like Celia's gone, simply because she is still so alive to me through her music and the friendship we shared for so many years. There were moments during this recording that felt to me like she was directing me to a degree or giving me ideas for where to go with the song."