The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Title: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

Author: Kate DiCamillo
Illustrator: Bargram Ibatoulline
Published: DiCamillo, K. (2006). The miraculous journey of Edward Tulane. MA: Candlewick.
Themes: adventure, love, childhood

WOW. This was the first book I've read by Kate DiCamillo.....and it definitely won't be my last! Edward Tulane is a china rabbit who resides with a little girl named Abilene. One day Edward experiences one of the worst things for a toy.....he gets lost. As Edward journeys through the deep ocean, garbage dumps, and traveling with a hobo, he learns the most important lesson of all....how to love.

To be completely honest with you, there's a point in this book where there's death and child abuse occurring. I sobbed like a baby. And as such, I would probably recommend this book for children Grade 3 and up.

Classroom Ideas:
- This is such a great book to explore more sophisticated vocabulary with (ex: jaunty, unsavory, exceptional)
- Explore the character development that Edward goes through.....as the pages progress, how is he changing? Students could compare how Edward was at the beginning of the book to how he was at the end.
- The author does not explicitly tell the reader what time period the story is taking place in. Have your students gather the clues and make an inference about the time period.
- Edward encounters many different owners during the journey of the book. Create characters profiles for each of the different owners and compare how Edward felt about each one of them.
- Have students pick one of the many owners that Edward has over the course of the book. Have them write about Edward from their point of view. (ex: How would Abilene describe Edward?)
- Reader's Theatre script for Chapter 22 found here.  
- There are SO many other books I thought of as I was reading this book. The Velveteen Rabbit, Pinocchio and Knuffle Bunny are just a few.


I hope you get a chance to pick up a copy of this book to read, it's truly a treasure.

- Brooke