Are we equating a child’s crush to the romantic crush of an adult or a teen?

I don’t think they’re the same.

Personally, I don’t find your choices weird at all. As a child my literary crushes were a rabbit, another rabbit, a bird, a spider, a horse, Anne Shirley, Pippi Longstockings, Dixie North, Almonzo Wilder, and others. I loved them because I lived how they handled themselves. I wanted to be them, I wanted to be friends with them or just spend time with them. So I did.