Walker Books Australia
Imprint: Candlewick
October 2026
ISBN13:9781536253108
Australia RRP:$27.99
New Zealand RRP:$29.99
When I first read that this was on its way on Kate’s social media, I was thrilled. When I found out that a copy was coming my way, I was even more excited and when it arrived yesterday (28/9) I was absolutely ecstatic to see how utterly glorious it is. I re-read it in one fell swoop last night, for the first time in years [now I feel a burning yearning to re-read Winn-Dixie as well!] eating it up in less than an hour, and once again marvelled at this wondrous fairytale and the impact it has had on so many readers, young and old, over the past 20 years.
The urbane Edward Tulane, 3-foot-high china rabbit with the most elegant and extensive wardrobe ever possessed by any mere ‘toy’ was a gift to the little girl, Abilene, when she was seven years old. Now at ten, she adores Edward more than ever but Edward’s self-absorption does not allow for him to return that deep affection, not even in the slightest.
However, when the pair are on a sea journey with the parents, and Edward meets with misadventure and ends up on the ocean floor, not only does his pampered and egocentric existence end abruptly but a series of extraordinary misadventures transpire.
After almost a year on the ocean floor, a wild storm stirs Edward closer to the surface where he is caught by a fisherman who takes him home to his wife. The old couple love the rabbit but their adult daughter is nasty and turfs him to the rubbish tip, and so one extraordinary rescue after another, Edward changes hands: the fisherman and his wife, the hobo and his dog, the farmer who makes him a scarecrow, the boy and his sick little sister, finally ending up restored in a dollmaker’s shop.
Through each episode, Edward’s china rabbit heart opens more, breaks more, and he learns what empathy, loss and love really are, until eventually he is rewarded in one of the most deeply satisfying endings of all time. It is a moral tale that doesn’t sound like it all but truly offers the reader some beautiful food for thought.
What a magnificent storyteller Kate diCamillo is. How gratified am I that I have met her and heard her tell her own story? And this gorgeous edition with the absolutely stellar illustrations from Bagram, the gold-foiled cloth-binding, the sprayed edges (!!!) and even a ribbon marker is just to die for.
Xmas is coming! What better gift to put into someone’s Santa sack, be they child or adult? This one is a gift to me [arriving just in time for my significant birthday really] and won’t be going anywhere but my own bookshelves.
It will make you cry – I can guarantee that, unless you have a heart of stone – and so many friends have exclaimed ‘Oh I LOVE that book so much!’ since I mentioned it, that it speaks for itself. As a gift, as an addition to a collection, as a treasure for yourself – it’s a must-have and besides, the hero is a rabbit – need I say more? It’s a 5 🐇🐇🐇🐇🐇emoji for readers from around 7 years up.
Leave a Reply