The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

In the tradition of poignant, beloved children’s classics like Don Freeman’s Corduroy and Anna Sewell’s Black Beauty comes best-selling, Newbery Medal–winning author Kate DiCamillo’s utterly charming creation The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Edward is a toy rabbit whose heart is as hard as his porcelain head. He cares more for his gold pocket watch and wardrobe of custom-made silk suits than he does for his kindly ten-year-old mistress, Abilene. Then suddenly, tragically, Edward is lost.

The reluctant wanderer’s journey takes him from the depths of the ocean to the top of a garbage heap. He is called “Susanna,” “Malone” and “Jangles.” He becomes a token child to an old fisherman and his wife, a traveling companion and confidant to a hobo, and the final keepsake of a dying girl. And somewhere along the way, the once-still place in Edward’s chest stirs as he slowly learns how it feels to love—how terribly love hurts, and how powerfully it heals. Using details as distinctive as the whiskers on Edward’s face, DiCamillo has crafted a timeless story—one similar in style, voice and subject matter to The Velveteen Rabbit—that reminds readers never to take love for granted (there’s a reason the book’s publication date is February 14). With its traditional illustrations and text that begs to be read aloud, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane will quickly take a place of honor on every child’s bookshelf, undoubtedly and deservedly.—Jennifer Hubert