Newbery Medal Winner - 2004
I have to start by saying that like many fans of quality children's literature, I found Kate DiCamillio back when Because of Winn Dixie came out through word of mouth. Of course, I loved it. I thought that it was the work of an author who knows how to craft a story well and pull me in as a reader from the beginning. I admit that I acquired The Tale of Despereaux through my trusty Scholastic Bonus Points over a year ago, but that I have yet to read it. I didn't give myself the chance to get into the rhythm of the story, which is written in a different way than Winn Dixie. However, I have read The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.
A wonderful little girl who is an avid reader in my class told me that I had to read it, because I love books and great stories, and that she had just finished reading it at night with her sisters and mom. I told her that I would have to check it out from the library, but her mom brought it in the next day and said, "Just give it a try. You have to get over the first couple of chapters, but then you can't put it down. Just stick through the first few chapters." So, I did. I went home and read, and every morning, I had to have book talk with my second grader "reading buddy." I had to trust that DiCamillio's word weaving would take me on an unpredictable but complete journey, and it did. Her writing took me places in my imagination that I would have never thought of on my own. That's the magic of her crafting as an author.Despereaux is written in a different style, but I style I would definitely relate more to Edward Tulane than to Winn Dixie. It's fantasy manner with DiCamillio talking to "the reader" throughout the story, making sure that you are paying close attention to events, turning points,and key vocabulary that make the style unique to the reader's prior interactions with text. The different style is intriguing, as if she has a finger and she is beckoning you to trust in her and the journey she desires to show you. There is a romantic, wistful way to the language and rhythm of the story as it unfolds, and the tone is set early in the novel to set the stage for how she wants you to feel about the mouse Despereaux who has a rough life from the beginning. He's born into the world already unappreciated and despised, for no good valid purpose that he has any fault in at all. Despite being branded with the name which means despair, he troops on unaffected by the negativity and refuses to be weighed down by all of those repressed by stereotyping. He keeps his mind on the magic and allure of purity, and under the romantic tone of the story, falls in love with the iconic symbol of it all, the princess. Not only that, but the others are threatened by his newness and boldness to not mesh into their preconceived fears, especially when it comes to how he adores music and the power of the written word and loves to read. He caresses the words on the page, as if to feel the magic and warmth of something living. When Despereaux is sent off by the majority, the change in the beating of the drum builds a subconscious tension within the reader, setting an elevating tone to the written situation.
It's interesting to have the book divided into "books" to allow for a major switch in the direction of the previous chapter. In the second book, while being banished, Despereaux encounters a rat named Roscuro, who in his own way has an unusual craving unlike his own typical rat peers because he is drawn to light and craves to be around it. A homely and sad character is introduced in book three, named Miggery Sow, who is a young girl that's not bright and is convinced that she would be "good enough" to dream of being a princess. It was not happily entertaining to read about her hard life and mistreatment, and I had to keep pushing myself through a part I would normally not care for, trusting in the journey DiCamillo wants me to take. It's not peachy to read about a poor mouse who is undeservedly banished by his own family that is ashamed of him and unloving. There's a string of dark undertone that is not warm and fuzzy, with the mistreatment, beating, despair, and the like.
I do like how the end in the coda that DiCamillo desires for you to remember the line from Gregory the jailer that "Stories are light." With characters drawn to light and the magic of text, you indeed walk away with that main idea in your mind. It was an interestingly written book, different but intriguing enough to keep you curious to stay on the journey. I would not read it to my second graders, but upper elementary kids would probably love the mysterious journey, especially if read aloud by a great, expressive voice. Like when I read Edward Tulane, I am at least glad I encouraged myself to trust in the journey of the story's lighted path.
2 comments:
I too am glad that I was forced to read this book eventhough it was not one of my favorites. I can appreciate the style with which the author crafted the text even if I do not find it satisfying to read. But, you hit on the main reason this book did not appeal to me. There is no warm and fuzzy undertone. The rawness of human nature, the mixing of the light with the dark, was just to bleak for me in this book. Despereaux did nto inspire quite enough hope in me. However, I am glad that I read the story. DiCamillo is quite an artist.
I enjoyed the book, and thought Despereaux was an inspiring unlikely hero. I appreciated the fact that he was searching for love, and thought that his pursuit of Princess Pea was very brave and sweet. I could understand why you wouldn't read this book to your second graders, but I am curious if you have/ will read any of DiCamillo's works to your students. I think I want to read The Tale of Despereaux to my 3rd graders simply because the author explicitly speakers to the reader. I think that is a powerful teachable moment for my students that challenges them to find their thinking voice while reading. I loved your note about your "reading buddy" while delving into Edward Tulane!
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