This book is truly my favorite book. It can be interpreted as a version of the Velveteen Rabbit, but I see it as much, much more. Edward is a china rabbit who is thrown of a boat and into the ocean. He is rescued, but soon he finds himself in the garbage. Everytime he is rescued, he is lost once again untill a true miracle happens. This book sad, sweet, moving. I really enjoyed it!

I wanted to like this book. I truly did. I love Kate DiCamillo, and there is something so precious about a selfish little rabbit doll. And I do appreciate what DiCamillo wanted to do with this story.

The only problem is that this came out as rather, well, dark and depressing and I just don't know how comfortable I am reading this to small children. There is absolutely no happiness in this book whatsoever until one finally reaches the bittersweet ending. Maybe I'm just this person in lala land who likes happy stories, but I found this too harsh for its intended age group. Heck, even I was depressed after reading it.

Still, DiCamillo is a fantastic writer and the story goes along in a very intelligent manner with fascinating characters.

So... if a kid can put up with a dark fairy tale, this is probably worth a read.

This is a great story about a porcelain rabbit who doesn't move but thinks deeply about his surroundings which are constantly changing. During his "travels" he meets many different people, including a vagabond and his dog, a fisherman, and a little boy whose sister is very ill. There is a very surprising and memorable ending, but you have to read the book to discover it.

I am a teacher. I purchased this book to add to my library of books for the students use but I am now rethinking my decision. I absolutely adore this book, it's well written and incredibly smart for the age level. I could see the writing style encouraging students to use advanced vocabulary in their own writing. I do think, however, that this book should not be given to students of this age level without a disclaimer. Many students of this age are accustomed to happy go lucky stories and this is not one of them-at almost every turn of the page, the protagonist feels defeated. I would not want my students to dislike this story simply because it is not what they expected. I've had this happen with other stories. Just a thought.

Edward Tulane is very proud of himself and quite arrogant. He owns a small golden pocket watch, sleeps in a sumptuous bed, and wears only the finest clothing. Every day, he sits in the dining room at the house on Egypt Street, waiting for his owner, Abilene to return. Abilene loves her Edward, a doll crafted from the finest china. Edward`s life is one of ease, and he has not a care in the world, save for himself. Until one day, when he begins a journey that will teach him about himself and the nature of love.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane was supposed to just be a cute bit of easy reading, judging by the cover. But it`s far more than that. I couldn`t put this book down. It is simply beautiful. Dicamillo`s language is touching without being sappy, her characters are touching without being melodramatic, and as Edward`s journey progresses, the reader is offered small glimpses into the lives of the human characters as they fall in love with Edward. I couldn`t help falling in love with Edward either.

Bagram Ibatoulline`s illustrations complement the story perfectly at the beginning of every chapter and with full colour pages sprinkled throughout.

This book is great for all ages, and it would make a great read aloud for parents and teachers.

This is a beautifully, well-written story with many layers and lessons to be learned. It can be a challenge for young ones to understand all the themes, but I was excited for my 4th grade student to read this. She seemed to enjoy it, and I was haunted by the characters. I admit that I'm a total sap and cried several times while reading this.

I also agree with other reviewers that there are some troubling situations that may be too traumatic for young children.

I read to my kids 8&10 every night before bed. This book was a little slow getting going but we hung in there and were so glad we did. This is a beautiful tale of a china glass bunny...we loved it. We had many nights where we just had to read more than one chapter. I couldn't reccomend it more.

I bought this book for our grandchildren and I always read the books I buy for them before giving them out. The author brought the reader right into the story! Both our girls and boys now have a favorite author. They made a diorama of a library with book shelves made from popcicle sticks and posters of Kate DiCamillo! Kate's books are an excellent choice for children.

This book was a gift to my daughter from a family member. One evening at bedtime, I began reading it to her. As a reader for children over the past several years (at school, etc.) I took on the voices and caught the tone of the book immediately.

And I was spellbound! My husband came in the room and, at the end of each chapter, said with our little one, "Read another chapter!" And so I did. Just the most endearing story ever!

As I read, I must confess, I began making a mental list of my adult friends who will receive this book as a Christmas gift. This is the art of writing at its finest.

As a mother (and grandmother) I am thrilled to see such a story in a book. As a reader, I enjoyed the cadence of the language. As a published author myself, I am totally jealous! :)

Can we buy an "Edward?"

Eva Marie Everson
Reflections of God's Holy Land: A Personal Journey Through Israel

What a delightful story and the illustrations where so beautiful.
I took this book out of the library I didn't know what to expect.
I didn't expect to need a box of hankies!!

I am definitely going to buy a copy to add to my personal library.

I recommend this book to anyone, child, adult...anyone.
Don't we all go through just such a 'journey'..if we are lucky?

m~

I bought this book for a summer read with my ten year old twins and my five year old. We all enjoyed this so much. When softy Mom started to get choked up at the misfortunes in Edward's life, I'd pass the book off to the boys. We read the whole book aloud, keeping everyone's attention in two, one-hour sessions. We gave the book to my nine year old niece and received a call the very next day telling me how much she loved the book too! We laughed, we cried and we'll remember this one for a long, long time. What more can you ask?

I do not see how you could not love this book!!! I read a lot as a homeschooling mother of 5 and this is definately one of my favorites. You won't regret this purchase!

We received this book in a timely fashion and it came in excellent condition. We are enjoying reading it very much. It is a very sad book, but has a good meaning behind it.

I read a LOT....have since a very early age. Edward Tulane can be understood and seen from so many levels. I honestly do not know how a child or adult's heart can't sigh at the end of the tale. K.Camillo has written another wonderful story in "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane". To read this story as an adult affords the opportunity to once again "read thru your own youth's eyes". An opportunity not afforded too often.

I actually read this book to my class, and they really enjoyed it. In fact they were sad when the book was over. In truth, so was I. It's a little darker than I expected but really very interesting, great moral base, and great imagery (sp?). I highly recommend it to anyone who likes playful fantasy.

I read this to my 6 year old daughter and we both loved it. The entire book is about love and loss, which are very realistic themes in life. There were some tragic parts, some parts that made us angry, and parts that made us tear up. All emotions excellent writing can evoke.

My daughter is very sensitive but was not disturbed by the book. Rather, it gave us an opportunity to discuss themes in life she has never encountered, like alcoholism or abuse that other children DO have to live with. I feel that it is important for her to know that there are people in the world who are "mean" and that love can be painful sometimes, but that like Edward she learn to love anyway.

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is about a almost completely china rabbit who went on a cruise with his owner Abilene Tulane. On the cruise they met two boys who started to rip off Edwards clothing and dropping it on the floor. The two boys started playing catch with him but accidently one of the boys threw Edward into the ocean. The next day a fisherman found him and brought him to his wife. She lost him somehow and then someone else found him later someone else found him and so on. I recommend this book to people who like sad and serious books. by Anita

I wanted so much to love this story as much as DiCamillo's other books. It just didn't come through. Kids age 5 and 9 liked it, me not so much. Pictures are really beautiful.

The passion I have for excellent literature is something I hope to pass on to my kids. In the interest of doing so, I am working on building a rather voluminous library of classic children's books. I bought this one after reading several glowing reviews by a couple of parenting magazines/websites.

After finishing the book, I found myself deeply disappointed. DiCamillo's writing is admittedly rich and masterful. However, the book purports to be aimed at 3rd to 6th graders. While I certainly don't advocate limiting children to Pollyannish literature, it is prudent to consider whether these young, very impressionable minds have the developmental capability to handle darker themes.

If you do let your grade-school age kids read this, make sure to read it first, and then read it with them. And be prepared to explain things like how adults become alcoholics, why people beat eachother up, why little children die, etc. In my opinion, and coming from a background in developmental psychology, this is a book which is more suited to teens. But what teenager is going to identify with the ordeals of a stuffed bunny?

My two six year-old boys were fascinated by this book as I read it to them every night. It is actually a very quick read and it is very clever. A rabbit who is alive, but not really. I love the point of view the author took for this book and all of the people the rabbit meets and learns to love. Wonderful. I was crying out loud near the end, and my kids were trying to figure out what was wrong with me. It was just very touching. This should be in every child's personal library.

First let me say that I have loved Kate DiCamillio's work in the past and hope to in the future. I adore her Winn Dixie and her Despereaux, but this book is leaving me with a bad taste in my mouth(as I just finished reading it out loud to my daughters). It seems to me that lately many books - from picture books to chapter books - are being written from a mix of nostalgia and moral teaching. They are books we think our children should enjoy, they remind us of classic stories or themes we heard in childhood and teach "valuable life lessons". The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is one of those books that reviews assure us is going to be just such an "instant classic", but I disagree. While the writing is lovely, the vocabulary delightful, and the illustrations beautiful, the story is transparent and forced, like cod liver oil for the spirit. It is bad to be selfish. It is bad to be self involved. You have to suffer to appreciate what you have. Bad things happen and loss is part of life, etc. While this may all be true, when presented as forcefully and traumatically as it is in this book, it is more likely to cause nightmares and shame than to inspire children to become deeply compassionate people. I couldn't help but think of the Velveteen Rabbit - which I love, but I find much more approachable - when I read this book, as well as echoes Pinnochio(which has much more innocence on the part of the lead toy, even though he has simliar traits). The difference is that Edward Tulane, a china bunnyman, has a self-centeredness, a coldness and a snobby vanity that is much more an adult affectation than the innocence of a child's self-centeredness, which can stem from the fact that a) they are a child and children' by nature put their needs first and b) perhaps they have been raised to have certain attitudes. Adults in this book are not going to win any kindness or responsibility awards. Pellegrina, who is supposedly a loving grandmother who commissioned this bunny for her granddaughter, disdains the toy and, after telling a rather nasty story about a princess to the girl while glaring at the bunny and telling the bunny how disappointed she is in it without saying why, almost seems to put a curse on the bunny as she seems to know it will come to a bad end. This bunny then goes through a series of dreadful, terrifying(sitting on the bottom of the ocean face down in muck but unable to die for almost a year, watching a young girl die in a shack with a mostly absent, drunk, abusive father), and pointless torments to teach him to appreciate the love he had and to love others. Every time a loving individual(a series of rather bizarre characters -would children today even understand about hoboes who leave their children and ride around in empty train cars until evil men show up and through their bunnies out the train car to punish them?) finds Edward and seems to connect to him he is somehow ripped away by some cruel, evil person and tossed into another dreadful torment. Dante's Inferno comes to mind - he is even mock crucified when used as a scarecrow(because we all know how scary bunnies are to crows). Regardless of the outcome, which I will not give away, this book is filled with needless and random cruelty. This is not to say that children should read all sugar and spice - certainly tragedy and cruelty are things that have their place in children's literature and children relish a good scare and morbid humor - but these things should be used carefully and should happen in a way that makes sense to the reader, not just be piled on for no apparent reason or as an endless punishment. THis story seems more oriented at scaring children with brutal reality and shaming them than inspiring compassion and appreciation for the love around them. It is also lacks the subtlety needed to teach such a lesson - what child learns compassion by being being beaten over the head with it? To teach a lesson, a story must be engaging, subtle, and follow a sense of logic and consequences that make the child think and relate to the characters and story being told. This all being said, this book is much more meaningful to, and might be a more effective tale for, young adults or, better yet, adults. Edward's faults and sufferings are much more the faults of a jaded adult than those of a child, and his random sufferings and lessons in appreciation and compassion would be far more meaningful to an adult. As a parent, I wish I had read this book myself before reading it to my children. They were so excited to read it(we've been waiting for it to come out in softcover for a long time!) and even though they are 10 years old, I still think I might have chosen not to read it to them, but there are some adults I'd like to give it to!

It's a real page turner.

My sister who is a elementary school teacher, read this with her class and gave it to me for my birthday. I read it, loved it and passed it on. I have given this book to several people to share with their kids...

It's an awesome book to read to children. The story is separated into chapters that leave you wanting more... It could easily last a month.

Teachers and parents... and their children... will LOVE this book!

I picked up this book at a local book sale and put it on the shelf. Earlier today I had some time and pulled it off the shelf where it sat for several months. I read it in two parts and finished in one day. Each chapter made me want to read more and more and more. I was always wondering who would love Edward next and where would Edward end up and how each new adventure changed his heart. It was a beautiful story and I was so impressed that the author could make me cry over a china rabbit. Beautiful!

I also agree that there were some moments that some children may find difficult to understand/read. So, maybe a parental read before sharing.

This was my first DiCammillo read. I'm ordering Despereaux next!

Although Dicamillo may tend to go a bit overboard in her presentation of mistreated individuals, she's extremely good at showing the struggles someone goes through when their very character is forced to completely change.

The rabbit Edward Tulane was instantly likeable for me. I found him to be vain in a Ravishing Rick Rude sort of way, and that's something I've always admired, even though it's definitely a character flaw. And because of this unusual character preference of mine, I was immediately into the book. (Also I'm a big fan of anything that assumes stuffed animals have feelings, despite their inability to move. I always wanted my stuffed animals to be alive when I was a little kid.)

Of course, Edward's problem isn't limited to admiring his own handsomeness, but it stretches to neglecting the love of others. This becomes the central part of the story. Until the old grandma describes what happens to someone who doesn't care about having the love of others, Edward has no reason to change. But when circumstances get rough for Edward and he's thrown into the ocean, kicked off a train, and treated to numerous other trials and tribulations, he finds that he gets great joy from the company of others and eventually wants others to love him.

Edward reaches the breaking point regularly as he's often left with no choice but to endure hard times until they blow over. All he can do in his helplessness is cry out phrases like, "I have been loved!" to the stars in his lonely and unending frustration. That's pure drama right there. And of course it's compounded with an interesting near-death experience.

Most of the characters in the story feel drawn to Edward and see him as something special that you don't find on just any old day. (I mean, how often do you find a hobo carrying around a children's doll?) But one or two characters simply despise him, enough to attempt his destruction. Like I said, I myself found Edward to be a likeable guy. Others might hate him. It's tough to be lukewarm around him anyway.

The ending of the book is somewhat predictable, but I wouldn't put too much focus on originality for this particular story. I mean, you can say it borrowed a bit from things like the Velveteen Rabbit, or that other Newbery book about the doll that was around for 100 years - yet it doesn't really matter. Edward's story is simply told very well, and that's its strong point. Little things like the star motif sure add a lot.

The illustrations are just amazing. They look like they come right out of a Norman Rockwell painting. Most of the book's setting is probably taking place during the timeframe depicted on old Rockwell's pictures too, so the illustrations are a good fit as well.

Okay, I admit, maybe this book will ring better with adults than children. I'm not sure. But you know, there's only so many books about serial killers and sci-fi UFOs that adults can read. Got to have a nice old-fashioned fairy tale every now and then, and a book like Edward Tulane's is perfect for that.

This beautifully written story is at once sad and joyous, painful, and bittersweet. The story is takes place over an approximately 20-year period, and follows the experiences of a china rabbit (not bunny!) named Edward.

Edward starts the story as an arrogant, uncaring soul, who finds people for the most part to be irritating and tiresome. He, despite being an inanimate object is really not very likable, and you wonder why his first owner, Abilene Tulane loves him so much.

I don't want to give away too much of the story, but what follows is a series of ... adventures (for lack of a better word) where pretty terrible things happen to Edward. But between these events there are joyful experiences as well, and the beauty of the story is how Edward learns from both.

The journey mentioned in the title refers to Edwards experiences and travels AND his spiritual growth, where he goes from arrogance and lacking empathy to a loving, accepting, and hopeful being.

Would I read it to a child? Yes. I did read it to my six-year-old, who loved it. We finished it last night, and she immediately asked me to start it again. Did she (and I) cry? Yes. I've read many comments that it's not really for children, but I'm not really one for limiting children to only happy writing with a lack of pain. I've also read some negative reviews that boil the story down to a list of tragic events, which is a shame, because Edward experienced a lot of joy and happiness between those events.

It was a wonderful story, sometimes painful, but always beautiful.

This story appears to be the winner of Dicamillo's books. It was recommended by a fellow counselor who uses it during therapy. The relatability to this porcelain rabbit is excellent, though it mostly pertains to issues of attach- and detatchment. There is almost something for everyone in this story of disappointment where one learns to love again.

Edward is a beautiful, vain, and selfish bunny, ungrateful for what he has until he loses it all. He goes on a journey that helps him to cultivate a heart and learn to love. His heart breaks. He finds joy. Danger abounds. There are moments of duty for Edward. Little by little you see him become a rabbit with the qualitites that his human friends need.

What an irresistable read! Edward, himself has such a way about him, you will want to jump into the book and grab him. The author gives you a glimpse into the mind of a toy rabbit and you didn't even know a toy rabbit had a mind! You are thoroughly convinced during the course of the story.

It is a tear-jerker, although not scary. As an adult, I love this book. I think children would, too. I wish it would be made into a movie!

This was a wonderful book. My 8 year old grand daughter and I read it together, and she "loved it so much she didn't want to put it down" and then "didn't want it to end".

What a beautiful little book this was. Great illustrations, it told the sad story of a little china rabbit named Edward Tulane who learns to love despite the pain.
It made me get all misty eyed. Also you can tell the quality of the characters based on how they treated the toy.
He learned to stop being arrogant and open his heart, not an easy thing to do, but a good thing to do if you want to be complete. It's all about compassion, kindness, loving, doing the right thing, important things like that.
And being kind to toys.

Of all the books I've read to my children, and that's a lot, this might be my favorite recently-published book yet. It's an instant classic!

So now I'm all caught up with Kate DiCamillo's novels and I have to say that The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is probably my favorite. It's a beautiful story and like all of her books, it's presented beautifully with amazing illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline.

Edward Tulane is a porcelain rabbit doll that was specially commissioned by Abilene Tulane's grandmother. He's a wonderful doll that has real rabbit fur ears, a gold pocket watch and a whole wardrobe of clothes. Edward admires himself and is quite conceited thinking only of himself. He is loved by Abilene but does not reciprocate that love.

When Abilene's family goes on a cruise Edward is tossed overboard and falls to the bottom of the ocean where he experiences his first emotion aside from selfishness - fear. After spending nearly a year on the ocean floor he is swept into the nets of a fisherman which eventually leads him into the unlikely arms of an elderly woman where he begins to learn the emotion of love. From there, Edward continues his miraculous journey, discovering what love is and learning to cherish the meaning and fragility of human relationships.

Another stellar work by DiCamillo! I'm so happy to have this book in my collection. What I love about DiCamillo's work is that they speak to such a wide audience. There's something in each of her books for everyone and I truly enjoyed this one.

This book was a request from my 9-yr-old granddaughter which I read before sending. I was delighted to find that it was a well-written and beautifully illustrated story that hooked me from Page 1. Edward Tulane is a non-feeling, sort of snobby, stuffed rabbit, who in a series of adventures and after being passed from home to home through no fault of his own, finds his heart...and love... and finally understands that even in the worst of circumstances there is always hope.

The story was beautifully written but chapter by chapter I became more and more depressed. Actually, I wanted to put it down and just not read it after a while, but I continued. After such a dreadfully painfull and heart-breaking story I would have liked more than one page for a happy ending. Would I recommend it? With some hesitation... Would I read it again? No...

I love this story. It is an interesting tale of one pompous rabbit's journey in learning to love. Very sweet and teaches that there are good and sometimes not so good people in all walks of life.

At first I thought this book was a sappy emotional rollercoaster. Good grief, win, lose, win, lose, win, lose...what is the point?

The trick is, I was getting hurt and hardened just like the main character. I was sucked right in to the author's evil scheme.

By the end of the book, I was ready for the same victory as Edward.

I'll tell you what happened at the end.

I was crying and laughing and had to re-read the last page because I couldn't believe it.

My wife looked over from her chair and said, "Are you crying?"

I said, "Yes. Promise me you will read this book, and not just skip to the end."

"Before I go to bed?" she said. It is 10:45pm.

"No, but you have to read this book. It's incredible."

So there you go. Check it out. She is reading it now, and I'm going to go lie down and look out the window at the stars and name the constellations!

At first I thought this book was a sappy emotional rollercoaster. Good grief, win, lose, win, lose, win, lose...what is the point?



The trick is, I was getting hurt and hardened just like the main character. I was sucked right in to the author's evil scheme.



By the end of the book, I was ready for the same victory as Edward.



I'll tell you what happened at the end.



I was crying and laughing and had to re-read the last page because I couldn't believe it.



My wife looked over from her chair and said, "Are you crying?"



I said, "Yes. Promise me you will read this book, and not just skip to the end."



"Before I go to bed?" she said. It is 10:45pm.



"No, but you have to read this book. It's incredible."



So there you go. Check it out. She is reading it now, and I'm going to go lie down and look out the window at the stars and name the constellations!

At first I thought this book was a sappy emotional rollercoaster. Good grief, win, lose, win, lose, win, lose...what is the point?

The trick is, I was getting hurt and hardened just like the main character. I was sucked right in to the author's evil scheme.

By the end of the book, I was ready for the same victory as Edward.

I'll tell you what happened at the end.

I was crying and laughing and had to re-read the last page because I couldn't believe it.

My wife looked over from her chair and said, "Are you crying?"

I said, "Yes. Promise me you will read this book, and not just skip to the end."

"Before I go to bed?" she said. It is 10:45pm.

"No, but you have to read this book. It's incredible."

So there you go. Check it out. She is reading it now, and I'm going to go lie down and look out the window at the stars and name the constellations!

"Edward Tulane" is a parable about learning to love, learning compassion, and then learning to love even knowing that it could lead to being hurt. DiCamillo is a marvelous story-teller, excercising tremendous control of the story. "Edward Tulane" reads like the layers of an onion being carefully and deliberately peeled back as Edward grows in his ability to love. A wonderful book to read with your late-toddler to pre-teen child, but also a great read for anyone with a heart.

This book is the most wonderful book I have ever read! It has imagination, adventure, warmth, caring and heart. I would recommend this book to anyone of any age. It totally warms your heart. I had already read this book once from the library. I liked it so much, I bought a copy of it for me, and a copy for a family member. It made me cry at the end...for joy!

This book was great, both of my daughters ( 4 and 6) loved it- further- I gave it to my mom to read ( 76) and she loved it to. The story keeps you interested and has an important message. Very good

My kids LOVE all of Kate Dicamillo's books. From my youngest children really loving Mercy Watson to my oldest going for her longer works like this book she's a hit in our house. Another hit by Kate Dicamillo with this book.

Thanks for putting out such wonderful work Kate!

My granddaughter and I are in the process of reading this book. She is eight and only a minimal amount of words are hard for her to pronounce.

I love books. I read a lot of books. Books often affect me emotionally . . . but there are very few books that actually make me cry. Off the top of my head I can only think of two, and one of those two is The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
Always a favorite, Kate DiCamillo has taken on the daunting task of revamping a classic idea, the toy that becomes real. It is the Velveteen Rabbit but with an intriguing twist. While the tender bunny of the above mentioned longs for realness and only gains it when finally rejected by the boy, the title character of this beautiful short novel is steeped in shallow, self love and only gains a level of realness (not here attributed with actual hopping) when he learns to love the girl who he has been separated from and finds her once more.
I didn't actually realize this was a Velveteen story until the end. The book stands on its own. Edward Tulane is a selfish toy rabbit concerned only with his own looks despite the undeserved love of his young owner. However, the grandmother who had him made intended him not for selfishness but to love his mistress, a lesson Edward must learn the hardest of ways. Edward's journey starts at the bottom of the sea after an unexpected mishap on a cruise ship and takes him from a hobo camp to the shelf of an antique store, learning to love a new owner at each stage. Every time the rabbit begins to love almost enough, he is again captured by fate and forced to learn again . . . until the very much hoped for conclusion where deep in your heart you know Edward is home for good.
I will never get over Kate DiCamillo. Over and over again she produces excellence and real joy. Edward Tulane is the perfect book.

"I have been loved," Edward told the stars. What a beautiful realization! An arrogant china rabbit with no regard for his caretaker falls into a series of misfortunes that leads to improvement of his character and develops his awareness of the real importance of life - to love and be loved. I won't spoil the plot with too many particulars, but each one is deeply touching and widely applicable to many situations that children themselves face and feel in this world. I can see this on the bookshelves of every adolescent counselor and think it could be tremendously helpful in the lives of foster kids.

The story seems to be an analogy of the Christian walk and the contribution others make, positively and negatively, that help lead us to Christ. It touches on our inner longing for the light, our realization of our own inadequacies, our desire for fellowship, and our ultimate salvation.

WOW!!

"I have been loved," Edward told the stars. What a beautiful realization! An arrogant china rabbit with no regard for his caretaker falls into a series of misfortunes that leads to improvement of his character and develops his awareness of the real importance of life - to love and be loved. I won't spoil the plot with too many particulars, but each one is deeply touching and widely applicable to many situations that children themselves face and feel in this world. I can see this on the bookshelves of every adolescent counselor and think it could be tremendously helpful in the lives of foster kids. Every child can relate to the vascillating emotions this poor little rabbit feels.

WOW!!

I read the first few chapters of this book standing in a book store. They were beautifully written. I bought the book for my 7 year old son. Fortunately, I read it first before giving it to him. I will not let him read it. The book takes a disturbing religious turn 3/4 of the way through, with the rabbit strung up as a scarecrow (actually its ears are nailed) to a cross, waiting to be saved. Several of the characters in the story are abusive to a point that is not acceptable to me in a children's book (a young boy being slapped in the mouth). There are plenty of good books for children on the market. This isn't one of them.

This is a sweet story with great illustrations that was perfect for me to share with my 7-year-old daughter. The story was engaging with mini-cliff hangers at the end of each chapter. Edward Tulane meets a variety of interesting characters on a journey that is at turns filled with despair, hope, and ultimately and always love. Enjoy and share with your children.

I see a lot of the reviewers liked this book, but few of them commented on how they liked it for their kids. I know the review says 3-6 grade, but we got this as a gift and read it to our 6 year old. His reading level is quite high, so I was pleased with how the book was written. Her language, the way she puts a sentence together, is so lovely and beautiful. As soon as we'd finish one chapter, he'd be clamoring to start the next.

He liked the book, although there were some parts he may not have understood completely. Fine, I accept that. But there were some parts that I thought were a little rough for him, and maybe would have been rough even for a 3-6 grader. Specifically the story line with the abused children struck me as too rough to read as a kids' book in our house. Not that we deny to the kids that there are bad people in this world, but the story line was too hopeless to explain.

At the risk of writing a spoiler, let me say this: from the moment Edward starts his journey, each person's life that he touches is flawed, sometimes severely. And to this end, the happiness he brings into their lives is what is touching. But whereas Edward is redeemed by the end of the book, everyone else is still miserable, or in some cases, worse.

So my final thought is if you like Kate DiCamillo's writing, read this book. It's wonderfully written, and it is, indeed a weeper. But be prepared that if you read it to kids, the dark parts may outweigh the light.

This book actually puts the complicated emotion of love into words. Its absolutely the best book i've read to my child!

Sad little Edward Tulane was too vain and self-absorbed to feel the love he unknowingly possessed. It was only when he was brought to his lowest points that he began to see the difference. He began to love and to feel loved. Then when he was removed from those who loved him, missing the love caused him greater pain and despair that he ever thought he could feel - so much so, that he wanted nothing more to do with love at all.

Because of the words of a wise old doll, Edward opened his heart once again to receive love only to discover that it never really left him - it was there all the time.

"'Tis better to have loved and lost than never to have loved at all." - Alfred Lord Tennyson