Customer Reviews
Especially terrifying for asthmatic children! 
2008-09-29
Lessons my daughter has learned from Edward Tulane:
Little children can cough and cough so hard that they cough up blood.
Little children can die from coughing.
It's okay to run away from home.
There are mean, mean adult people out there who crush dolls or throw them in trash heaps or smash them; who hit their children and tell them they are going to die; who throw homeless people from trains and kick dogs; who ridicule their elderly parents or refuse to let children keep a beloved toy.
The adults who do these things never ever get punished for their actions. Nothing bad happens to them at all; they just walk away scot-free.
Bad things happen, over and over again, especially to those who are young, good, and innocent; that's just how life is. Even when you are loved.
If someone tries to cheer you up or give you hope, just ignore them and they will go away.
If someone tells you that you should just end your life, you should consider it.
Since Edward is "just a toy", you don't have to feel bad for him. He's helpless. These awful things are bound to happen to those that are helpless. Like toys. Or forests. Or animals. Or children.
It's okay to be abused and miserable and pathetic and defeatist in this life because after you die it's all so lovely. You don't really need to even try to change your attitude. In the end, it won't matter how you lived.
Don't waste your time hoping for love because no one will love you until you're dead.
It's okay if you never try. It's okay if all you ever are is a victim.
Because the good news is: maybe, just maybe, in the end (whether that be the literal end of the story, or the obvious metaphorical end of life), all the torture and pain and despair and hopelessness MIGHT end well. And everything that happened won't matter. In fact, it never did. All that matters is the ending.
These are not the lessons I want my child to learn, from this or any other book. It is reminiscent of the old Grimm fairy tales; the old Christian tales of the bad things that happen to naughty little girls and boys; the violent and disturbing old `children's' cartoons like Tom & Jerry, and Road Runner.
If I want to teach my children perseverance, I will read them Little House on the Prairie.
If I want to tell them the adventures of inanimate objects without cruelty and despair (in other words, the challenges life gives us) I will read them Hitty; Her First Hundred Years.
If I want them to learn about love, I will read them hundreds of other stories that are positive and hopeful throughout: let's start with The Velveteen Rabbit. Maybe Edward should read the Velveteen Rabbit himself.
wonderful book to read together with your child. 
2008-09-22
This book was wonderful, tragic, sweet, and funny. My daughter and I read it together and loved every minute of it. The writing is fabulous and the illustrations are just so sweet. My daughter and I bawled at the completion of the book. It will be a book/memory we will always cherish.
Charming, heart breaking, and beautiful... 2008-08-28
I just put this book down. It was absolutely beautiful.
I warn you, though, this story is probably not for the sensitive (as demonstrated by the negative responses). Still, I think this is an important story for the overindulged, entitled generations that we are raising. It is about love, and appreciation, and loss, and need. The characters are very real and have qualities in people that we all know.
I loved this book. It was so moving and I would highly recommend it.
Lost Doll advice! 2008-08-24
I love this book, and highly recommend it as a read aloud book for schools, libraries and bedtime. But as I mention in my review at TheDollBlog.com, please be sensitive to the child who has recently lost a doll.
As any parent can attest, The Lost Doll or lovey is a serious emotional event in any child's life, and as wonderful a book as this is, (and it truly is a modern classic), no need to add to your child's distress.
PS: This beautiful book belongs on every doll lover's bookshelf as well!
*** Spoiler Alert *** (if you haven't read the book stop here)
Add to that the fact that the Doll returns, (albeit twenty years later) and you could raise false hopes in your child as well.
the miraculous journey of edward tulane 2008-08-23
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!
Kind of dark for kids 
2008-08-19
Once, in a house on Egypt Street, there lived a china rabbit named Edward Tulane. The rabbit was very pleased with himself, and for good reason: he was owned by a girl named Abilene, who adored him completely. And then, one day, he was lost. . . . Kate DiCamillo takes us on an extraordinary journey, from the depths of the ocean to the net of a fisherman, from the bedside of an ailing child to the bustling streets of Memphis. Along the way, we are shown a miracle -- that even a heart of the most breakable kind can learn to love, to lose, and to love again.
A Miraculous and Touching Story. 2008-08-18
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.
This book made me cry. 
2008-08-16
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.
Kate Dicamillo Strikes Again 2008-08-10
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.
Beautiful Book 2008-08-07
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.
