At the beginning of the school year, my best reader brought me a book and asked me to read it to the class. The book is called The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane and it was written by Kate DiCamillo. I had actually heard about the book at a conference I had attended on reading. The book was known for its detail and rich vocabulary. It is about the journey of a toy rabbit who is loved, but who only loves himself. Through his experiences of loss of love, loneliness and learning to love again, Edward learns what is important in life.
I began reading the book and my students were hooked almost instantly. We had some interesting discussions. The chapters always kept the listeners wanting to hear more. About a third of the way into the book I discovered the Edward Tulane website. This site features a teacher's guide with discussion questions, as well as vocabulary words which may be unknown to the children. The site also features a Reader's Theatre script.
We are currently reading The Tiger Rising, also by Kate DiCamillo. We just started it last week, but my students seem to be just as engaged in this one as they were The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
Other books by Kate DiCamillo are Because of Winn Dixie, The Tale of Despereaux, and the Mercy Watson series.
1 comment:
read this to my 2/3 class this year - they still talk make connections to the character of edward as we read other books...enjoyed by students and teachers alike
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