The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

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When we first encounter Edward, he is in the possession of a girl named Abilene. Abilene adores her china friend and he is treated like a prince, joining family meals and enjoying an extensive wardrobe. Soon Edward begins his journey, as he accompanies the family on The Queen Mary to travel to London. However, during the voyage, he falls overboard and plunges to the bottom of the ocean. From here he is rescued by a fisherman, who takes him home and provides him with a new name, a new identity and a new family. Thus begins a repeating pattern, where Edward is passed from owner to owner, fitting into each new home only to be torn from it to find another. During this time, Edward’s most miraculous journey is that of selfdiscovery and, as a reader, we begin to care more deeply for him as he begins to care more deeply for others. 3 Exploring the text Edward Tulane is a china rabbit given to a ten-year-old girl named Abilene [1] by her grandmother in the 1930s. He enjoys a pleasant but vain life with his young mistress, who treats him with the utmost love and respect until an unfortunate incident finds him falling overboard while vacationing on the Queen Mary. Edward spends 297 days on the ocean floor, until a storm frees him from the seabed and a passing fisherman and his buddy pull him from their fishing net. The man takes him home to his wife where he is referred to as female and wears dresses. [2]

What charmed me about this book was having it read to me in 20 minute segments at night by one of my grand children. And seeing how the book spoke to her much-less-jaded heart, and how she rejoiced in the ending. And hearing the beauty of the 'story telling voice' in this book that does not shrink from a sophisticated vocabulary in choosing the right word over the simpler word. This is the harrowing tale of a china rabbit doll who is separated from his young owner and undergoes a series of harrowing adventures over a number of years before finding a happy resolution. Berdan, Kathy (13 March 2020). "Coronavirus closures: Twin Cities theaters go dark". Twin Cities Pioneer Press . Retrieved 21 March 2021. Open your heart," she said gently. "Someone will come. Someone will come for you. But first you must open your heart."Edward's heart stirred. He thought, for the first time in a long time, of the house on Egypt Street and of Abilene winding his watch and then bending toward him and placing it on his left leg, saying, "I will come home to you." Edward and the boy are parted when the boy takes Edward to a doll mender. The doll mender will only fix Edward if the boy leaves Edward with him and the boy unfortunately agrees. Edward is completely fixed, but he is put on a shelf to await a new owner. Over the course of years, Edward waits and meets other dolls. One in particular helps Edward to regain his hope and faith that he will someday find a good home. His hope is rewarded when, after all this time, he sees the little girl who loved him so long ago. She is all grown up and now has a daughter of her own and they just happen to be shopping in the doll mender's shop. The little girl who loved him so long ago and Edward are finally reunited, with Edward finding that love is the most important thing he could ever have. Edward is passed from hand to hand of a succession of life-altering characters, such as a hobo and his dog and a four-year-old girl with tuberculosis and her brother. Edward's journeys not only take him far from home, but even farther from the selfish rabbit he once was. Eventually, Edward is cruelly broken against a counter top edge, repaired and then offered for sale in a doll store for several years. He is finally bought by Abilene, his original owner, now married with a daughter of her own. The story is about Edward’s journey of misfortune through many different “owners” and his experiences with how others survive or don’t in his world. After class, I ran to the school library and found the librarian. "I need you to help me find a book!" I said to her.

Literally, it's about a china rabbit, 3 feet tall, with all manner of uppity airs about himself. The grandmother of his owner, a little girl who lavishes attention on him, tells a grim, Grimm-like fairy tale of a witch who turns a beautiful (but heartless) princess into a warthog. Then Granny eyes the rabbit and says, quite simply, "You disappoint me." What "A" (fairy tale) has to do with "B" (Granny's disappointment with Edward) is for DiCamillo to know and the reader to find out.In all, Edward Tulane felt himself to be an exceptional specimen. Only his whiskers gave him pause. They were long and elegant (as they should be), but they were of uncertain origin. Edward felt quite strongly that they were not the whiskers of a rabbit. Whom the whiskers had belonged to initially–what unsavory animal–was a question Edward cold not bear to consider for too long. Although this may have been written for younger readers I believe it will be enjoyed by people of all ages. If you don't cry at some point you're as heartless as Edward is in the beginning. However, despite the tears, you will be left with a happy ending. I have to admit that I bawled like a baby when I finished this book, a modern classic. It isn’t long after that Abilene’s father shares the announcement of a family trip to London. Abilene decides to take Edward of course, but after an incident with some boys on the ship, Edward is stripped of his fancy clothing, thrown overboard, and sinks to the bottom of the dark ocean. Naked and alone, he becomes scared. Feeling a true emotion for the first time, he then begins to question his future. What will happen to poor Edward now? I’m choosing this book for my October read for the Ultimate Reading Challenge. One of my favorite tropes is when a character learns about the power of love and I feel this book is a great example.

Draw children into the text by discussing what we understand by the word ‘precious’ - many first thoughts are likely to relate to monetary value. Set up a ‘think, pair, share’ activity, where children think about the meaning of the word precious on their own (perhaps 30 seconds), then explain their thoughts to a partner, before joining up with another pair to share and construct joint understanding. Now introduce a box containing something ‘very precious’. Caution the children that they will need to take extreme care when handling what they find inside. Really build up the tension here, before carefully opening the box and inviting individuals to examine the precious object.

The novel contains several themes involving loss and recovery, kindness and compassion, and the journey to self-discovery. The main theme can be summarized by a quote from the book: "If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless." Kate DiCamillo is also the author of The Tale of Despereaux, Because of Winn Dixie and over a dozen other books. I have been loved, Edward told the stars. So? said the stars. What difference does that make when you are all alone now?” Set up the classroom space to represent the toy shop and split children into groups to discuss responses to these questions. Then, assign a different possibility to each group to develop as a role-play. After plenty of opportunities to practice, perform the endings and decide which ending is most fitting.

It's about a rabbit, and he goes places," I said. Yes, that was the best I could do. She couldn't help me, and before I knew it, it was time to go home. It didn't occur to me to ask my teacher for the name of the book, or to even borrow it so I can read it at home. She was reading it to her other classes, and I suppose a part of me felt like I would be overstepping. Oh, to be nine and naive and considerate. What an amazing author to write a book like this. Kate DiCamillo literally captured my heart again and I can’t wait to read all of her other books. She’s become a favorite author and we want to read everything she writes. I honestly question how this book didn’t win awards and wish they’d do a film adaptation.The Quill Awards - The 2006 Quills". The Quills Literacy Foundation. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28 . Retrieved 2007-10-11.