Published: 2006
Publisher: Candlewick Press
200 pages (paperback)
Summary: Edward Tulane is a 3-foot tall china rabbit doll, owned by a little girl named Abilene. Abilene loves Edward immensely, treating him like he’s a real person, giving him his own wardrobe and even his own gold pocket watch. Perhaps because of such treatment, Edward has become a mighty proud and self-centered little doll who only cares about himself. Things change, however, when Abilene and her family board a ship to London and Edward is accidentally thrown overboard, the beginnings of a harsh and brutal journey for the pampered china rabbit. He spends nearly a year on the bottom on the ocean, months in a garbage dump, years with a hobo, etc. And as Edward moves from place to place, he begins to learn what love is.
My Thoughts: I picked up this book after reading about it on Paola’s blog, who gave it a rave review. I’m a bit confused, are there two versions of this book? Paola’s ticked it off as a YA novel, but when I found it in the library, it was in the children’s section and resembled something of a picture book. Eh, I don’t know, but I’m pretty sure the story is the same, maybe they just published one version for kids and one version for adults, kind of like with the Harry Potter series (I’ve ticked it off in both the Children and YA category for now). Edit: I saw in the bookstore, there are indeed two versions. One is a large, picture book-esque version for younger children, and the other was a paperback novel version I found in the Teen section. They are, from what I can tell, the exact same story written exactly the same way.
Anyway, this book is super sweet and touching. Despite myself being an adult, and this being more orientated to the young’uns, I could relate because I remembered when I was little, I loved my stuffed dolls and not-so-stuffed dolls and I treated them like they were real, living things. They all had their own names and their own personalities and their own back stories. It was almost nostalgic, in that sense, and it’s pretty neat to read about the journey from Edward’s point of view (though it is still 3rd person), because we get to be there with him while he makes the transformation from being a snobby little doll to a doll that understands love. It is amazing how such simple words made me feel so heartbroken and sorry for little Edward and his rough journey. Haha, I almost want a china rabbit myself now, if only to hug an Edward-look-alike and tell him that I love him too! It’s a very quick read (just 200 pages, big font, my particular version had full-page illustrations as well), but the story is surprisingly deep, and the message it spells out is simple, but strong: that love transcends time, that love is worth it, that you must open your heart to love before you can receive it. The entire reading experience was pleasant. I have no doubt that kids will be completely entranced by this tale, because I certainly was!
My Rating: 5/5
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