Et cetera : What we're reading... The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

This weekend I read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, by Kate DiCamillo. It is a story for children but appeals to a much wider audience.

It tells the story of a porcelain rabbit, Edward, who cannot move or speak but can feel. He lives a sheltered life with a girl who cares deeply for him; dresses him, speaks for him, poses him. One day while aboard a boat with the girl and her family he is accidentally sent overboard. The adventure that ensues teaches him about loss, joy, love and ultimately, home.

In her collection of essays titled These Precious Days, Ann Patchett says this about Kate DiCamillo: "I remembered what it had felt like as a child to read a book and be certain the author was speaking directly to me. The work of Kate DiCamillo had opened something in me, an ability to see and feel things that were very far from me now....the ability to walk through the door where everything I thought had been lost was in fact waiting for me." I heartily agree.

~Kelly