The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

by Kate DiCamillo, Bagram Ibatoulline (Illustrator)

Overview

A classic tale by Newbery Medalist Kate DiCamillo, America’s beloved storyteller. 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 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 bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle – that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again. Featuring illustrations and a refreshed cover by Bagram Ibatoulline, as well as an excerpt of Kate DiCamillo's newest novel, Raymie Nightingale.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780763649425
Publisher:	Candlewick Press
Publication date:	09/08/2009
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Sales rank:	42,609
Lexile:	700L (what's this?)
File size:	13 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	9 - 12 Years

About the Author

Kate DiCamillo is the author of THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX, which was awarded the Newbery Medal; THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE, winner of a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award; BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, a Newbery Honor winner; THE TIGER RISING, a National Book Award Finalist; the picture book GREAT JOY; and several books starring Mercy Watson, including a Theodor Seuss Geisel Honor Book. She lives in Minneapolis.

Hometown:

Minneapolis, Minnesota

Date of Birth:

March 25, 1964

Place of Birth:

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Education:

B.A. in English, University of Florida at Gainesville, 1987

Read an Excerpt

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

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By Kate DiCamillo

Candlewick Press

Copyright © 2006 Kate DiCamillo All right reserved.
ISBN: 0-7636-2589-2

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Chapter One

Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a rabbit who was made almost entirely of china. He had china arms and china legs, china paws and a china head, a china torso and a china nose. His arms and legs were jointed and joined by wire so that his china elbows and china knees could be bent, giving him much freedom of movement.

His ears were made of real rabbit fur, and beneath the fur, there were strong, bendable wires, which allowed the ears to be arranged into poses that reflected the rabbit's mood-jaunty, tired, full of ennui. His tail, too, was made of real rabbit fur and was fluffy and soft and well shaped.

The rabbit's name was Edward Tulane, and he was tall. He measured almost three feet from the tip of his ears to the tip of his feet; his eyes were painted a penetrating and intelligent blue.

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 that Edward could not bear to consider for too long. And so he did not. He preferred, as a rule, not to think unpleasantthoughts.

Edward's mistress was a ten-year-old, dark-haired girl named Abilene Tulane, who thought almost as highly of Edward as Edward thought of himself. Each morning after she dressed herself for school, Abilene dressed Edward.

The china rabbit was in possession of an extraordinary wardrobe composed of handmade silk suits, custom shoes fashioned from the finest leather and designed specifically for his-rabbit feet, and a wide array of hats equipped with holes so that they could easily fit over Edward's large and expressive ears. Each pair of well-cut pants had a small pocket for Edward's gold pocket watch. Abilene wound this watch for him each morning.

"Now, Edward," she said to him after she was done winding the watch, "when the big hand is on the twelve and the little hand is on the three, I will come home to you."

She placed Edward on a chair in the dining room and positioned the chair so that Edward was looking out the window and could see the path that led up to the Tulane front door. Abilene balanced the watch on his left leg. She kissed the tips of his ears, and then she left and Edward spent the day staring out at Egypt Street, listening to the tick of his watch and waiting.

Of all the seasons of the year, the rabbit most preferred winter, for the sun set early then and the dining-room windows became dark and Edward could see his own reflection in the glass. And what a reflection it was! What an elegant figure he cut! Edward never ceased to be amazed at his own fineness.

In the evening, Edward sat at the dining-room table with the other members of the Tulane family: Abilene; her mother and father; and Abilene's grandmother, who was called Pellegrina. True, Edward's ears barely cleared the tabletop, and true also, he spent the duration of the meal staring straight ahead at nothing but the bright and blinding white of the tablecloth. But he was there, a rabbit at the table.

Abilene's parents found it charming that Abilene considered Edward real, and that she sometimes requested that a phrase or story be repeated because Edward had not heard it.

"Papa," Abilene would say, "I'm afraid that Edward didn't catch that last bit."

Abilene's father would then turn in the direction of Edward's ears and speak slowly, repeating what he had just said for the benefit of the china rabbit. Edward pretended, out of courtesy to Abilene, to listen. But, in truth, he was not very interested in what people had to say. And also, he did not care for Abilene's parents and their condescending manner toward him. All adults, in fact, condescended to him.

Only Abilene's grandmother spoke to him as Abilene did, as one equal to another. Pellegrina was very old. She had a large, sharp nose and bright, black eyes that shone like dark stars. It was Pellegrina who was responsible for Edward's existence. It was she who had commissioned his making, she who had ordered his silk suits and his pocket watch, his jaunty hats and his bendable ears, his fine leather shoes and his jointed arms and legs, all from a master craftsman in her native France. It was Pellegrina who had given him as a gift to Abilene on her seventh birthday.

And it was Pellegrina who came each night to tuck Abilene into her bed and Edward into his.

"Will you tell us a story, Pellegrina?" Abilene asked her grandmother each night.

"Not tonight, lady," said Pellegrina.

"When?" asked Abilene. "What night?"

"Soon," said Pellegrina. "Soon there will be a story."

And then she turned off the light, and Edward and Abilene lay in the dark of the bedroom.

"I love you, Edward," Abilene said each night after Pellegrina had left. She said those words and then she waited, almost as if she expected Edward to say something in return.

Edward said nothing. He said nothing because, of course, he could not speak. He lay in his small bed next to Abilene's large one. He stared up at the ceiling and listened to the sound of her breath entering and leaving her body, knowing that soon she would be asleep. Because Edward's eyes were painted on and he could not close them, he was always awake.

Sometimes, if Abilene put him into his bed on his side instead of on his back, he could see through the cracks in the curtains and out into the dark night. On clear nights, the stars shone, and their pinprick light comforted Edward in a way that he could not quite understand. Often, he stared at the stars all night until the dark finally gave way to dawn.

(Continues...)

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Excerpted from The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo Copyright © 2006 by Kate DiCamillo. Excerpted by permission.
All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
Excerpts are provided by Dial-A-Book Inc. solely for the personal use of visitors to this web site.

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Editorial Reviews

One reading is hardly enough to savor the rich philosophical nuances of DiCamillo’s story. I think I will go read it again right now.
—New York Times Book Review, The

This achingly beautiful story shows a true master of writing at her very best.
—School Library Journal (starred review)

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.
—Booklist (starred review)

Once again, DiCamillo harkens back to an older storytelling style, filled with magic and the transformational power of love. . . . The reader will be transformed, too.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

There will be inevitable comparison of Edward Tulane to THE VELVETEEN RABBIT, and Margery Williams's classic story can still charm after 83 years. But as delightful as it is, it can't match the exquisite language, inventive plot twists, and memorable characters of DiCamillo's tale.
—Publishers Weekly, boxed signature review

The delicate sepia images that head each chapter and the full-color illustrations augment the emotional tenor of the book.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, The

DiCamillo writes tenderly and lyrically but with restraint, keeping a tight focus on Edward’s experience and gradual awakening.
—Horn Book, The

Bagram Ibatoulline's exquisite illustrations cast a warm light across this . . . tale by one of today's most admired writers for children.
—Wall Street Journal

DiCamillo has carved out a distinct place as one of her generation's most beloved writers.
—Chicago Tribune

When Edward's journey ends, the reader will be wishing this story could go on and on.
—Washington Post Book World

In the tradition of poignant, beloved children's classics like Don Freeman's CORDUROY and Anna Sewell's BLACK BEAUTY comes best-selling, Newbery Medal-winning author Kate DiCamillo's utterly charming creation THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE. . . . With traditional illustrations and text that begs to be read aloud, THE MIRACULOUS JOURNEY OF EDWARD TULANE will quickly take a place of honor on every child's bookshelf, undoubtedly and deservedly.
—Time Out New York Kids

DiCamillo . . . is a natural children's-book writer.
—Boston Herald

This choice is destined to become a classic.
—Dallas Morning News

DiCamillo’s book is as much a literary miracle as Edward’s transformation.
—Raleigh News and Observer

DiCamillo’s newest offering is full of lovely, stately language, a riveting plot and a message that is heartwarming without being preachy. Fans of BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE and THE TALE OF DESPEREAUX will not be disappointed. . . .This tale has 'destined to be classic' written all over it, and it lives up to its great promise.
—Book Page

A rare and beautiful book that remains in the soul.
—San Diego Union-Tribune

Elegantly designed, with delicate, full-color plate paintings by Bagram Ibatoulline, it has the look of a classic.
—Miami Herald

Lovingly told, DiCamillo's affection for her characters shines through and overtakes you and by the book's end, readers will care deeply.
—Honolulu Advertiser

A new classic has been forged.
—Pittsburgh Post Gazette

The powerful storytelling of bestselling author DiCamillo paired with Ibatoulline’s luminous paintings, will leave no reader - child or adult - unmoved.
—Child

Beautifully designed, with plenty of old fashioned illustrations.
—Seattle Times

A riveting tale, by turns sad and joyous.
—Scripps-Howard News Service, Best Children’s Books roundup

The miracle of Edward Tulane’s journey is the miracle of learning to love.
—ForeWord Magazine

Exemplifies the art of bookmaking as well as excellence in storytelling and illustration.
—Reading Today

A remarkable, eloquent and genuinely moving story. . . . Hang onto this title as one to remember for graduation gifts.
—Denver Post

Ibatoulline outdoes himself — Yet even standing alone, the story soars because of DiCamillo’s lyrical use of language and universal yearnings.
—Book Links

The sad yet hopeful story of a selfish china rabbit that learns to love is beautifully written, and the sepia-toned gouache illustrations make this book one to treasure for many years.
—Kansas City Star

From the Publisher