The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is available from Walker Books (walker.co.uk). It is written by Kate DiCamillo with illustrations from Bagram Ibatoulline. Recommended reads

Early on in the book Abilene begs her grandmother, Pellegrina, to tell her and Edward a bedtime story. Pellegrina’s story begins as a traditional fairytale, but takes a rather unexpected turn when, instead of a happy ending, the beautiful princess is turned into a warthog! Here an unpleasant feeling arises within us as readers - will Edward Tulane get a happy ending, given the twists and turns his own story subsequently takes? In this matter, Edward has his own suspicions. He believes Abilene’s grandmother is a witch and has a hand in his misfortunes. This episode and the overall pattern of the book lend themselves well to developing children’s story making skills. They could be challenged to: Literally, it's about a china rabbit, 3 feet tall, with all manner of uppity airs about himself. The grandmother of his owner, a little girl who lavishes attention on him, tells a grim, Grimm-like fairy tale of a witch who turns a beautiful (but heartless) princess into a warthog. Then Granny eyes the rabbit and says, quite simply, "You disappoint me." What "A" (fairy tale) has to do with "B" (Granny's disappointment with Edward) is for DiCamillo to know and the reader to find out. This is the harrowing tale of a china rabbit doll who is separated from his young owner and undergoes a series of harrowing adventures over a number of years before finding a happy resolution.The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane is a 2006 novel by Kate DiCamillo and illustrated by Bagram Ibatoulline. Following the life of a china rabbit, the book won the 2006 Boston Globe-Horn Book Award in Fiction category.

DiCamillo’s magical realism worked for both of us as we waited each day for what would happen next. I hope you find it as engaging as we did.

DiCamillo, Kate (January–February 2007). "Boston Globe–Horn Book Award Acceptance". The Horn Book Magazine . Retrieved 2007-10-11. Targeting vocabulary Looking to expand your pupils’ vocabulary? Despite the apparently simplistic layout and structure, the language used in this book is challenging. Pre-cueing vocabulary will aid comprehension and gives children an opportunity to reinforce reading skills. The novel contains several themes involving loss and recovery, kindness and compassion, and the journey to self-discovery. The main theme can be summarized by a quote from the book: "If you have no intention of loving or being loved, then the whole journey is pointless."