| Synopsis
"Someone will come for you, but first you must open your heart. . . ."
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, he was lost.
Kate
DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the
ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the top of a garbage heap to the
fireside of a hoboes' camp, from the bedside of an ailing child to the
bustling streets of Memphis. And along the way, we are shown a true
miracle — that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to
love, to lose, and to love again.
Editorial Reviews From School Library Journal
Starred Review. Grade
3-6–This achingly beautiful story shows a true master of writing at her
very best. Edward Tulane is an exceedingly vain, cold-hearted china
rabbit owned by 10-year-old Abilene Tulane, who dearly loves him. Her
grandmother relates a fairy tale about a princess who never felt love;
she then whispers to Edward that he disappoints her. His path to
redemption begins when he falls overboard during the familys ocean
journey. Sinking to the bottom of the sea where he will spend 297 days,
Edward feels his first emotion–fear. Caught in a fishermans net, he
lives with the old man and his wife and begins to care about his
humans. Then their adult daughter takes him to the dump, where a dog
and a hobo find him. They ride the rails together until Edward is
cruelly separated from them. His heart is truly broken when next owner,
four-year-old Sarah Ruth, dies. He recalls Abilenes grandmother with a
new sense of humility, wishing she knew that he has learned to love.
When his head is shattered by an angry man, Edward wants to join Sarah
Ruth but those he has loved convince him to live. Repaired by a doll
store owner, he closes his heart to love, as it is too painful, until a
wise doll tells him that he that he must open his heart for someone to
love him. This superb book is beautifully written in spare yet stirring
language. The tender look at the changes from arrogance to grateful
loving is perfectly delineated. Ibatoullines lovely sepia-toned gouache
illustrations and beautifully rendered color plates are exquisite. An
ever-so-marvelous tale.–B. Allison Gray, John Jermain Library, Sag Harbor, NY
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc.
From AudioFile
Newbery Award winner Kate DiCamillo constructs an old-fashioned story
about a vain and selfish china rabbit who learns the value (and price)
of love. Edward's journey is difficult--and even horrifying, as when he
sinks to the ocean floor--but Judith Ivey's steady and compassionate
narration makes one confident that everything will turn out all right
in the end. And Ivey's skillful accent changes, from a New England
fisherman and his wife to a Southern hobo and his dog, help communicate
Edward's physical travels across the country better even than the text
does. However, listeners may want to seek out the print book to see
Bagram Ibatoulline's evocative illustrations, which are not included
with the audio packaging. J.M.D. © AudioFile 2006, Portland, Maine-- Copyright © AudioFile, Portland, Maine
From Booklist
*Starred Review* Gr. 2-4. As she did in her Newbery Medal Book, The Tale of Despereaux (2004),
DiCamillo tucks important messages into this story and once more plumbs
the mystery of the heart--or, in this case, the heartless. Edward
Tulane is a china rabbit with an extensive wardrobe. He belongs to
10-year-old Abilene, who thinks almost as highly of Edward as Edward
does of himself. Even young children will soon realize that Edward is
riding for a fall. And fall he does, into the sea, after mean boys rip
him from Abilene's hands during an ocean voyage. Thus begins Edward's
journey from watery grave to the gentle embrace of a fisherman's wife,
to the care of a hobo and his dog, and into the hands of a dying girl.
Then, pure meanness breaks Edward apart, and love and sacrifice put him
back together--until just the right child finds him. With every person
who taouches him, Edward's heart grows a little bit softer and a little
bit bigger. Bruised and battered, Edward is at his most beautiful, and beautiful
is a fine word to describe the artwork. Ibatoulline outdoes himself;
his precisely rendered sepia-tone drawings and color plates of high
artistic merit are an integral part of this handsomely designed
package. Yet even standing alone, the story soars because of
DiCamillo's lyrical use of language and her understanding of universal
yearnings. This will be a pleasure to read aloud. Ilene Cooper; Copyright © American Library Association.
About the Authors
KATE DICAMILLO is the author of THE TALE of DESPEREAUX which received
the Newbery Medal; BECAUSE of WINN-DIXIE, which received a Newbery
Honor; THE TIGER RISING, which was named a National Book Award
Finalist; and, most recently, the MERCY WATSON stories. She says, "One
Christmas, I received an elegantly dressed toy rabbit as a gift. I
brought him home, placed him on a chair in my living room, and promptly
forgot about him. A few days later, I dreamed that the rabbit was
face-down on the ocean floor - lost, and waiting to be found. In
telling THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE, I was lost for a good
long while, too. And then, finally, like Edward, I was found."
BAGRAM IBATOULLINE is the illustrator of CROSSING by Philip Booth; THE
NIGHTINGALE by Hans Christian Andersen, retold by Stephen Mitchell; THE
ANIMAL HEDGE by Paul Fleischman; HANA in the TIME of the TULIPS by
Deborah Noyes; and THE SERPENT CAME to GLOUCESTER by M. T. Anderson. He
says, "It was a singular and most pleasurable experience to work on the
illustrations for EDWARD TULANE and to be there with him on his
journey. I must admit, I'm a bit wistful now that I've come to the end
of this very special book."
Product Details
Reading Level: Ages 9-12
Paperback: 198 pages
Carton Size: 36 books
Publisher: Candlewick; Reprint edition (December 26, 2007)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0763639877
ISBN-13: 978-0763639877
Product Dimensions: 7.66 x 6.62 x 0.64 inches
Shipping Weight: 0.81 pounds
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