The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
Kate DiCamillo, illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline
Candlewick, 2006
$18.99, Hardcover
978-0763625894
May 4th, 2012
Genre: Fantasy
Age: 7+
Description:
Once, in a house on Egypt Street,
there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased
with himself, and for good reason: He was owned by a girl named Abilene, who treated him
with the utmost care and adored him completely. And then, one day, everything
changed and he was lost. The book then follows the selfish Edward as he is
rescued from the depths of the sea and lives with various people, including a
fisherman and his wife, a hobo and his dog, and the bedside of a dying girl.
Edward, now called by many names, finds his hard heart softening as he learns
the meaning of love.
Opinion: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane
is an interesting story. The character of the china rabbit is so self-centered
at the beginning that one actually dislikes him and enjoys when he is in misery
(alas, while poor Edward can think he is just a doll and can’t move without
help). It is sad to see him get tossed overboard and see the hurt in Abilene’s eyes as her
beloved doll washes away. Soon through all the adventures Edward goes through
he begins to see that people are people and they have interesting stories to
share. He begins to understand that life isn’t good enough to just be loved—he needs
to love back. When his head gets shattered he thinks it’s the end of him but
the older brother of the dying girl gives him up to a toymaker just to make
sure he gets fixed. As Edward spends time sitting on shelves waiting for
someone to buy him instead of a fancy porcelain doll, he has plenty of time to
reflect on his last few years wandering the world. The ending, while obvious to
astute readers (i.e., who ends up buying him), is very heartwarming and tissue
worthy. Give this one to readers who want a sad but happy story and ones who
like books about anthropomorphic animals.
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