Here, There, and Everywhere  

Read at least 5 books that fit somewhere within the Once Upon a Time II criteria. They might all be fantasy, or folklore, or fairy tales, or mythology…or your five books might be a combination from the four genres.

Book 1: The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo

Hardcover: 228 pages
Publisher: Candlewick (February 14, 2006)
ISBN-10: 0763625892

Amazon:   

This achingly beautiful story shows a true master of writing at her very best. Edward Tulane is an exceedingly vain, cold-hearted china rabbit owned by 10-year-old Abilene Tulane, who dearly loves him. Her grandmother relates a fairy tale about a princess who never felt love; she then whispers to Edward that he disappoints her. His path to redemption begins when he falls overboard during the family's ocean journey. Sinking to the bottom of the sea where he will spend 297 days, Edward feels his first emotion–fear. Caught in a fisherman's net, he lives with the old man and his wife and begins to care about his humans. Then their adult daughter takes him to the dump, where a dog and a hobo find him. They ride the rails together until Edward is cruelly separated from them. His heart is truly broken when next owner, four-year-old Sarah Ruth, dies. He recalls Abilene's grandmother with a new sense of humility, wishing she knew that he has learned to love. When his head is shattered by an angry man, Edward wants to join Sarah Ruth but those he has loved convince him to live. Repaired by a doll store owner, he closes his heart to love, as it is too painful, until a wise doll tells him that he that he must open his heart for someone to love him. This superb book is beautifully written in spare yet stirring language.

In reality, I couldn't write a better description of the book than Amazon did.

What a fantastic book!  I am soooooo glad I didn't miss out on this one.  It took me a while, when it sat on my wish list, but I finally sent for it and I couldn't be happier!

It was a "one read session"...but a superbly enjoyable one!

And I couldn't possibly leave without giving as much mention to the illustrator: Bagram Ibatoulline. 

Bagram Ibatoulline graduated from the State Academic Institute of Arts in Moscow and has illustrated numerous picture books, including The Nightingale, Hana in the Time of Tulips and The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane. Born in Russia, he now lives in New Jersey, USA.  (oooo I wish I knew where in NJ!)

I can find no website for this artist.. but he surely deserves one!  Here are a few samples of his work form Edward Tulane...

Even if you don't have a very young child... you should have this book.

Both the  writing and the illustrations are just outstanding!