The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

        The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo takes readers, young and older alike, to an emotional place that really invites the reader to evaluate themselves. Edward Tulane is a bunny rabbit made of China that is very selfish. He is lost from his owner, Abilene, and sent on a journey that lasts for what seems like a lifetime, and has him questioning his own personality. "Perhaps, he thought, it is not too late, after all, for me to be saved" (DiCamillo, 2006). It is a fantasy prose chapter book, with 27 illustrations (one before each chapter begins) conducted by Bagram Ibatoulinne. The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is labeled as fantasy because Edward, a stuffed bunny rabbit, can talk. Not everyone can hear him, but he has emotions much like anyone else. For fantasy genres, the text must have a logical setting, well defined plot, and "strong characterization" (Galda, Cullinan & Sipe, 2011). The illustrations for fantasy should include drawings that exaggerate reality and reflect the settings and plot. DiCamillo and Ibatoulinne blended their work together very well to create representational art to depict a natural setting. "Representational art [style] consists of literal, realistic depictions of characters, objects, and events" (Galda, Cullinan & Sipe, 2011). Aside from Edward's ability to communicate to those with the ability to hear him this book is otherwise very believable, so the illustrations enhance the text by showing the reader a realistic picture of what the characters look like. Figure 6.1 on page 209 in our text provides more detailed insight as what the book should do for readers:

•  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane meets the criteria for excellence in narrative fiction (as previously discussed)
• The world of  fantasy in The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is believable
• The plots are logical
• Characters are believable and empathetic
• Clear structure is elegant writing
• Meaningful theme, which in the case of  The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is love    

     The illustrations have several literary elements of their own. The media is pencil and pen with no color shown throughout the entire book. The shape is representational and the soft textures show readers just how delicate Edward truly is, and how is physique changes over time. The illustrations make the book so much better, as we are given a chance to actually see what the different characters and settings look like, so readers can match what he or she had imagined.
    Though it is not necessarily a multicultural book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane won The Boston Globe-Horn Book award in 2006 for fiction, and is recognized on page 400 in Appendix A. Personally, I loved this book. I had a very hard time not reading it in one sitting. DiCamillo teaches a valuable lesson is love, being loved, and letting oneself love others.  It is a great book that I even asked my husband to read simply because the warm message is just that inviting. One particular character, and I won't spoil which one, just really touched my heart. I even got emotional when I read her story. I would certainly offer this as an option for my elementary students, approx. aged 8-12, to read for a project.
      I could ask my students to do several activities relating to The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. One would be to draw Edward from the description given in the text. The drawing should be as detailed as possible, with accuracy. Also, using the illustrations provided in the book are not acceptable to view. This must be drawn completely from the descriptions given in the text. Another activity is writing a paper every so often as students read through the book. During the process of reading these 27 chapters, I would ask students to write a one page paper every three chapters. I would expect this to be done every two weeks. The biweekly report should include the answers to these questions:

1. What is your favorite part of the book so far? This can include things that you read before that just still may be your favorite part.
2. How do you feel about Edward? Have you ever felt like him, or does he remind you of anyone you know?
3. Which character/setting from Edward's journey do you like the most and why?
4. Which do you like the least and why? 

References

        DiCamillo, K. (2006). The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. (1st Edition ed.). Somerville, MA: Candlewick
       Galda, L., Cullinan, B. E., & Sipe, L. R. (2011). Literature and the Child. (7th ed., pp. 24 - 400). Belmont: Wadsworth Pub Co.