BY KATE DICAMILLO * ILLUSTRATED BY BAGRAM IBATOULLINE
“ONCE, IN A HOUSE ON EGYPT STREET, there lived a rabbit who was made almost entirely of china.”
So begins The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. That elegantly-attired rabbit was a seventh birthday present to Abilene Tulane from her grandmother, Pellegrina. Every morning, Abilene, who is now ten, dresses Edward in one of his extraordinary handmade silk suits and hats and winds his gold pocket watch. She sits him at the dinner table each evening, and she tucks him into his own bed each night.
“I love you, Edward,” she tells him before going to sleep.
Edward never says anything in response, even though Abilene half expects him to, since of course he cannot speak. Nor does he particularly feel anything in response, since most of his thoughts and feelings center on himself. He never ceases to be amazed at his own fineness, considering himself to be “an exceptional specimen”; he is not much interested in what people have to say, including the devoted Abilene.
On Abilene’s eleventh birthday, her parents tell her the family will soon sail to London on the Queen Mary. That night Pellegrina tells Abilene and Edward a bedtime story about the terrible fate of a princess who loved no one. Edward, who prefers not to think unpleasant thoughts, is unmoved.
On the deck of the ocean liner, Edward receives admiring attention from many of the other passengers. However, two young brothers grab Edward off his deck chair, strip him of his clothing, and begin to play catch with him. When Abilene tries desperately to stop them, Edward goes overboard, into the ocean.
So commences Edward Tulane’s odyssey, from the bottom of the sea to rescue by a kind fisherman, and through a succession of caretakers. Though yearning for his old life on Egypt Street, Edward begins to experience life, love, and loss.
A new teacher guide will help you bring The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane to your class in many different ways. There are lots of ideas and something for every classroom. Enjoy!
Edward Tulane Art Project
