You know it is a great story when you become so overcome with emotion that you find yourself sobbing as you read. This a beautiful story of finding love, losing love and learning to love again. Edward Tulane is a magnificent china rabbit that thinks very highly of himself. His owner, Abilene loves and adores him and he is always dressed in the finest clothes.
As the story begins, you realize he is only concerned with himself and you begin to question his love for Abilene. With a little help from Pellagrina (Abilene’s grandmother), Edward is introduced to his selfishness and lack of love. When the unthinkable happens and his beauty and dignity are stripped away he realizes he is loved for the joy and hope he brings others. As he opens his heart to new people and adventures, he begins to love.
After reading the book, I was able to have some great discussions with my kids. We talked about being selfish and whether or not that makes you happy. We talked about caring for others and making them happy. When was Edward happiest? We had a discussion about judging others. Edward would not have chosen any of the owners after Abilene, but those owners were the ones that taught him about love. He was happy, enjoyed life and made great memories. We talked about losing those that we love and sometimes that causes us to close our hearts to love again. We found out that when you close your heart, you miss out on more love. The experience and the memories you create when you love someone can be worth the hurt when your loved one is gone. We were able to discuss the loss of my father, their Grandaddy. We had many happy and fun memories about Grandaddy and when he passed away, we were very upset. I asked them, would you rather have those times with Grandaddy, including the memories and the pain from losing him or never having had time with him?
This has become a family favorite that we have read several times and is now a regular request. Every time we read it, we find another great message and it encourages us to think of others and to enjoy our life. I recommend this one for your family library.
From the Publisher
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.
Click on the link above to find out more about this book or to purchase from Amazon.
If you have read the book (or after reading it), let me know what you think.
Cammie Moise