A Journey with Edward

I love to read to my children and a long car ride is the perfect place for a great book. So, yesterday when Shawn said, “Load up, I need to take some tools back to Raymond,” I looked around the living room for a book to read to everyone. I almost grabbed Farmer Boy, as I have been reading it to the boys during school time, but just as I was reaching for it my eyes caught sight of another book, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. I bought the book just days ago at school book fair when I noticed that the author was Kate DiCamillo, the author of The Tale of Despereaux. I read The Tale of Despereaux last year to my kids right before the movie came out. It was an excellent book (the movie was terrible.) We fell in love with the little mouse Despereaux and the Princess Pea.  Kate is also the author of Because of Winn Dixie (a newberry Award winner), and The Tiger Rising, also great books. I therefore, expected great things from this book about a rabbit named Edward.

As we pulled out of the driveway I gave Shawn and Jarom a synopsis of the first 3 chapters that we had read two nights before without them. The other kids insisted that I start in at chapter 4 and reread the story Grandma tells Abilene and Edward about a beautiful princess.

“Once there was a princess who was very beautiful. She shone as bright as the stars on a moonless night. But what difference did it make that she was beautiful? None. No difference.”

“Why did it make no difference?” asked Abilene.

“Because,” said Pellegrina, “she was a princess who loved no one and cared nothing for love, even though there were many who loved her.”

At the end of the story the Princess met a terrible fate, and Grandma ended the story with the ever familiar words, “The end.”

“The end?” said Abilene indignantly.

“Yes,” said Pellegrina, “the end.”

“But it can’t be.”

“Why can’t it be?”

“Because it came too quickly. Because no one is living happily ever after, that’s why.”

“Ah, and so,” Pelegrina nodded. She was quiet for a moment. “but answer me this: how can a story end happily if there is no love? “

Edward was like the Princess. He was beautiful, but he loved no one. As I read on, page after page, and chapter after chapter the kids were spell bound, Shawn took the extra, extra, long way around to ensure we could continue on with the story.

We wound our way through the hills, and I read about a very selfish, ungrateful rabbit who was lost and moved from owner to owner. He endured many mishaps and trials, but along the way he learned to appreciate what he had, he learned to open is heart, and he learned to love.

The story sucked us in. We were held captive as we followed Edward on his miraculous journey. As I read, I wiped my eyes and held back tears, and when I couldn’t hold back the tears anymore I cried and read, and wiped my eyes. Shawn patted my shoulder, Tabetha sniffed, Mya slept, and the other kids sat silently.

Shawn kept driving. We finished the entire book, and then we talked about Edward, and about how he came to love others. We talked about selfishness and pride, and we talked about how trials make us grow.

Edward’s was a miraculous journey that ended happily, because he learned to love.

I rate it 4 out of 4 stars

for ages 5+