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I’m still gathering my thoughts from the wonderful experience that was the IBBY Congress in London Thursday to Sunday 23-26 August.  Four days of inspirational speakers and meeting kindred spirits from all over the world.  I’ve now added a selection of photographs to our Flickr – you can see them here.  I haven’t quite finished tagging and describing yet, but I’m getting there… and here is a smaller selection for you to enjoy on the blog – again, I’ve numbered them so that I can come back and label them!

A London children’s theatre company Theatre Peckham helped the Opening Ceremony go with a swing with their delightful performance of an extract from the theatre adaptation of Kate DiCamillo’s The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane.  Then fuelled with a piece of Wally’s delicious 25th birthday cake (but where was he?  Answer: everywhere, in the guise of the very game Imperial College staff!), we headed back to the auditorium for our first plenary session – and what a line up!  Three UK Children’s Laureates – the current reigning Julia Donaldson and two of her predeceesors, Michael Morpurgo and Anthony Browne.

Each spoke about what particular passions they had brought to their role as laureate: Michael  described how he and poet Ted Hughes had first come up with the idea, and how Hughes had been instrumental in making it all happen; Anthony played the ‘shape game’ and showed how it appears everywhere in his work and outside it; and Julia talked of the three areas close to her heart: enhancing children’s experience of reading through drama; keeping libraries open (a big issue in the UK); and promoting stories for and about deaf children.

Julia and her husband Malcolm, on guitar, then showcased some examples of what theatre can do to enhance literacy, from the chorus of a very fast Italian pasta song written while on holiday in Siena, Italy, to a virtuoso performance of The Gruffalo in French, German and (its most recent language) Scots.  In between, we were treated to the song that inspired Julia’s book A Squash and a Squeeze with audience participation… and I say treated, well, it was a real treat for me as I got to be the hen!  Thanks to Australian author Susanne Gervay (yes, that was one of my top thrills of IBBY, meeting Susanne in person…), you will shortly be able to see it on Flickr too – don’t laugh too much!!

Well, that was just the first few hours of the Congress – I will certainly be writing more about it over the coming weeks.  In the meantime, hello to all those PaperTigers friends I got to meet for the first time in real life – Shirin Adl, Candy Gourlay, Dashdondog Jamba; and to old friends and new.  I’ll now be dreaming of IBBY Mexico 2014…  In the meantime, head on over to Flickr and enjoy my photos – and much better ones on the official IBBY Congress 2012′s photostream.

#59 The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane by Kate DiCamillo (2006)
36 points

poignant, tender, lovely like the Velveteen Rabbit and a great read aloud - Charlotte Burrows

This deceptively skinny book is full of big ideas: love lost and gained, changing yourself over time and people coming into and out of your life leaving an imprint are but a few of these monumental life lessons we all want our kids to learn. I’ve read this aloud to students as well as my own boys and I’ve weeped unabashedly each time. – Tess Alfonsin

He was #97 on the last poll.  He is #59 on this poll.  Make of that what you will.

In Publishers Weekly, Katherine Paterson said of this book, “Even in the galley stage, this is a beautiful book. Ibatoulline’s illustrations are simply wonderful, and the high quality of the design incorporates luxurious paper and spaciously arranged blocks of text. But a story for today about a toy rabbit? Okay, I thought, Kate DiCamillo can make me cry for a motherless child and a mongrel stray. She can wring my heart following the trials of two lonely children and a caged tiger, and bring tears to my eyes for a brave little lovesick mouse, but why should I care what happens to an arrogant, over-dressed china rabbit? But I did care, desperately, and I think I can safely predict you will, too.”

There were alternate takes on the book as well.

• Read a selection from the book here.

• To my surprise I was not able to discover any staged productions of this particular book.  You can instead download a bit of reader’s theater or a teacher’s guide if you like.

• You may also borrow an Edward Tulane costume for your next party.

• And a reenactment of the book can be found here.

Publishers Weekly said of it, “There is nothing cloying in the telling of this tale, nothing sweeping or epic or self-satisfied on these pages. Kate DiCamillo gives us a fragile and wonderfully human antihero and a meaningful, memorable story with all the markings of a future classic.”

The starred review in School Library Journal said, “This achingly beautiful story shows a true master of writing at her very best.”

Kirkus also gave it a star saying, “Somewhere between fairy tale and fable, DiCamillo spins the tale of Edward, transformed by the lives he touches. The reader will be transformed too.”

And Booklist (with a star) said, “The story soars because of DiCamillo’s lyrical use of language and her understanding of universal yearnings. This will be a pleasure to read aloud.”

Honestly there aren’t really that many different jackets.  There is, however, the British edition:

And this song “Corner Store” was inspired by the book.