Book Review: The Miraculous Journey Of Edward Tulane

In Fourth grade, my class read one of the most compelling books of my life, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. This book is a heart warming story about a china rabbit doll who makes an astounding journey through the arms of many caretakers. A book written by Kate Dicamillo gives a breathtaking theme of how strong love can be, but also how it can be taken for granted and dragged through the dirt. It demonstrates to young readers that love is not only a romantic item but also a strong connection between two people who care for eachother. The overall theme of the book can be summarized by a single quote: "If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless." Edward reminds older readers that love can still be coming for them. An overall message from the book emphasizes how bitterness can change your life. Words of praise chants such as: "This charming book is destined to be read aloud, shared, and savored by young and old alike. It has an old-fashioned

quality and the appearance of a classic, and belongs in every child's library." Pat Scales, Director of Library Services, South Carolina Governor's School of the Arts, Greenville, SC. This book should be on the list of books that are required to be read while in elementary school and I’m not the only one who believes so. In 2006, the book was awarded a Parents’ Choice Award for Spring 2006 fiction along with a Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for children’s fiction. In 2007 the U.S. National Education Association named it one of Teachers' Top 100 Books for Children. In 2012 it ranked number 59 on a survey by School Library Journal for all time children’s novels.
The book begins with an arrogant china rabbit doll owned and loved by a young little girl. Abilene cherished Edward as if he was a real human being. She dressed Edward every morning in different suits and let him sit at the dinner table while the family ate. This chapter of Edward’s life shows not only how conceited Edward is but it teaches a lesson that no matter how much you love someone, you can’t force them to love you back.
Edward and Abilene make their next journey through the book by boarding a ship.

Abilene makes Edward her top priority while traveling until some boys get a hold of him. They use him as a football and then one of the boys loses hold of Edward and he goes overboard. While Edward lays on the ocean floor he begins to learn that your life can be turned upside down in a split second. This begins to humble Edward.

Edward spends nearly a year lodged into the sand on the ocean floor until a storm breaks him free. A local fisherman catches him and takes him home to his wife.The fisherman’s wife, Nelly, treats Edward like her own child. Although Nelly dresses Edward in girl clothes he doesn’t seem to mind because he hasn’t been loved or cared for in a long time. This lesson here is probably one of the most important ones. This chapter in Edward’s life shows him starting to love someone. Granted it wasn’t the life or the love he was used to, he was grateful to be in someone’s arms

again.
Edward ends up in another predicament when Nelly’s kids throw Edward away. Edward later finds himself in a landfill being tugged on by a dog. The dog pulls Edward free and returns him to his master, a hobo. Edward travels far and wide with his new friends and he learns a humbling lesson. Edward traded in the suits and dresses he once wore over his white porcelain frame and now wears a bandana over his dirty, mangy body. Edward learns that life’s not about what you wear of where you live but who you surround yourself with. Living with the hobo and his dog Edward learned how to be happy without fancy things.
Edward continues his journey into the arms of a young boy living in a small little shack who has a sister with tuberculosis. The boy uses Edward as a puppet to cheer the little girl up. As she lay there coughing Edward was the only thing she had to hold onto, physically and figuratively. Edward was the only light in the young girl’s life. Edward was happy to make her final days peaceful even if it meant he was strung up on strings and embarrassed. After all these experiences Edward had felt upset or cheated but when the girl died, Edward felt true grief. A feeling you can only have when you lose something you love. This part of the book catches everyone and most people believe it because it’s sad when someone dies but that’s not the case. It’s not the girl we’re attached to in the book, it’s Edward, and at this point in his story Edward learns to love someone.
The boy and Edward spent the following days grieving together. Edward was the boys only lasting connection to his sister. They spent the days on the street performing for people to collect change to feed themselves. Although the life they lived was very sad what happens next is just appalling. Edward gets his porcelain head slammed against a counter and shattered into a million pieces. The boy takes Edward to a doll repair shop and the owner says he will fix Edward under one condition; he gets to keep Edward and sell him for profit. The boy agrees because he knows that’s what his sister would’ve wanted.
The boy continued to come by the store to check on Edward until the day the owner banned him from the store. Edward had learned so much from the time he spent away from his original home. He learned compassion and how to love. Now that he was in a store surrounded by other dolls who acted just the same as he used to, he understood how awful it was to live your life so conceited. Edward was a sad china rabbit doll now. Physically he was broken and put back together, but emotionally he was also broken and then fixed. He learned how to be a new humble doll. He didn’t have looks anymore but he had love. Edward sat on the shelves of the store until one day his original owner stumbled into the shop. Abilene was now married and had a daughter of her own but she had never been more excited to see Edward and Edward had never felt so much joy.