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Book Summary:
Ten-year-old Opal feels lost and alone after moving to Florida with her father, who is the new preacher at Open Arms Baptist church. Opal befriends a mangy mutt after he is caught ransacking the local grocery store, and she names him in its honor. In Winn-Dixie, Opal identifies with a fellow creature who just wants to be loved, especially since she is struggling to come to terms with her mother’s unexplained absence. Opal confronts her father and asks him to come up with a list of ten things about her mom, one for each year that she’s been alive, as a way of knowing her somehow. Much of the book revolves around how both Opal and her father cope with this loss.
With Winn Dixie in tow, Opal sets out to explore Naomi and meets several new people. At the local library, Opal hangs out with Ms. Franny Block, who regales her with stories about the past, including tales about her own family’s candy making business. She shares the candy, which is a sweet but a little bit sad, with Opal. The enterprising Opal also befriends Otis, the clerk at the local pet store, Gertrude’s Pets. Opal learns that Otis is an ex-con who loves to play the guitar. She makes a deal to work for Opal in return for pet supplies for Winn Dixie. During her time there she meets five-year-old Sweetie Pie, who invites Opal to her pink-themed party.
After two local boys, Steve and Dunlap Dewberry taunt her and chase her on bikes, Opal finds herself at an older woman’s house. Although the boys call Ms. Gloria Dump a witch, Gloria becomes her friend and stops by regularly to read her books. Inspired by Sweetie Pie, Opal decides to host a party of her own with Gloria. She invites all of her new friends, including a girl she met at the library who lost her brother in a drowning accident.
On the day of the party, a massive thunderstorm hits and disaster strikes. Terrified by the thunder and lightning, Winn Dixie bolts. Opal and her father rush out into the blinding rain to search for Winn-Dixie. While they search for the dog, Opal and father’s feelings of loss over her missing mother boil over, and Opal confronts her father about why he didn’t stop her mother from leaving. Realizing they still have each other, they make up and continue their search, but they still don’t find the dog. Believing she is gone, they sadly return to Gloria’s house, only to discover Winn-Dixie was there the whole time. The book ends with everyone eating Ms. Block’s Littmus Lozenges and singing to Otis’s guitar playing.
APA Reference:
DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Impressions:
I was a little skeptical of this book because I expected it to be a little maudlin, and to a degree, Kate DiCamillo didn’t let me down. Parts of the book are a little sappy and sentimental, but I was surprised at the emotional immediacy of the narrative; in fact, I read the whole book in one setting. There is very little action in the book. Most of the narrative is propelled forward by its emotional realism and the compelling point of view employed by DiCamillo. We view Opal’s situation through her own eyes, from a ten-year-old’s perspective of challenging and ultimately heart-rending experience. The immediacy and innocence of that voice is the driving force behind the book and one of the core reasons why the theme resonates so powerfully with readers. Even those who have never lost a parent can identify with the feelings of loss, loneliness, confusion, and rejection that Opal processes. What I liked most about this book was that her mother didn’t come back because I felt it was realistic. Sometimes, for various reasons, people in our lives will leave us. As Opal explores how to cope with that so do readers. The trusty and faithful pet is another character that all readers can identify with, even those who may not be able to have pets of their own. Everyone wants that feeling of unconditional acceptance and love. While Kate DiCamillo’s plot is sluggish and her language is unexceptional, the emotional realism she conveys makes this a truly heart-warming and moving book.
Professional Review:
FICTION Kate DiCamillo Because of Winn-Dixie 182 pp. Candlewick 3/00 isbn 0-7636-0776-2 15.99 (Intermediate)
According to Miss Franny Block, the town librarian in Naomi, Florida, her great-grandfather made his fortune after the Civil War by manufacturing a candy "that tasted sweet and sad at the same time." Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni (called Opal) thinks this description of the candy sounds a lot like life, where "the sweet and the sad were all mixed up together," too. It's also a pretty apt description of this engaging Southern-style first-person novel, featuring a girl and dog with a lot to offer each other. Children's literature is full of animal-to-the-rescue stories, but rarely does salvation come in the form of a creature with as much personality as Winn-Dixie. When Opal, who has just moved to town with her preacher father, discovers him cheerfully knocking over produce in the Winn-Dixie supermarket one day, it's obvious he's a stray. "Mostly, he looked like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain." His friendly manner, which involves pulling back his lips into what appears to be a smile, wins her over and, luckily, wins her father over as well. As if in gratitude for giving him a good home, Winn-Dixie immediately begins easing Opal's troubles, helping her make friends, who in turn help her come to terms with the fact that her mother abandoned her and probably won't be back. The story teeters on the edge of sentimentality and sometimes topples right in, but the characters are so likable, so genuine, it's an easy flaw to forgive. All in all, this is a gentle book about good people coming together to combat loneliness and heartache--with a little canine assistance. ~By Christine M. Hepperman
Hepperman, C.M. (2000). [Review of the book Because of Winn Dixie, by K.DiCamillo]. Horn Book Magazine, 76(4), 455-456. Retrieved from ProQuest Database. https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/loginurl=http://search.proquest.com/docview/199350503?accountid=7113
Library Uses:
Since much of the story revolves around the bond between Opal and Winn-Dixie, it might be fun to plan a PAWS for reading event in the library, where students could read to a therapy dog to build their reading fluency skills. Since Opal also reads to Gloria Dump, perhaps this concept could be further developed into a service learning project. Students could take a field trip to a local nursing home or hospice center to read their favorite books to residents. This would take considerable planning but could result in an authentic learning experience which would richly reward all involved.
Ten-year-old Opal feels lost and alone after moving to Florida with her father, who is the new preacher at Open Arms Baptist church. Opal befriends a mangy mutt after he is caught ransacking the local grocery store, and she names him in its honor. In Winn-Dixie, Opal identifies with a fellow creature who just wants to be loved, especially since she is struggling to come to terms with her mother’s unexplained absence. Opal confronts her father and asks him to come up with a list of ten things about her mom, one for each year that she’s been alive, as a way of knowing her somehow. Much of the book revolves around how both Opal and her father cope with this loss.
With Winn Dixie in tow, Opal sets out to explore Naomi and meets several new people. At the local library, Opal hangs out with Ms. Franny Block, who regales her with stories about the past, including tales about her own family’s candy making business. She shares the candy, which is a sweet but a little bit sad, with Opal. The enterprising Opal also befriends Otis, the clerk at the local pet store, Gertrude’s Pets. Opal learns that Otis is an ex-con who loves to play the guitar. She makes a deal to work for Opal in return for pet supplies for Winn Dixie. During her time there she meets five-year-old Sweetie Pie, who invites Opal to her pink-themed party.
After two local boys, Steve and Dunlap Dewberry taunt her and chase her on bikes, Opal finds herself at an older woman’s house. Although the boys call Ms. Gloria Dump a witch, Gloria becomes her friend and stops by regularly to read her books. Inspired by Sweetie Pie, Opal decides to host a party of her own with Gloria. She invites all of her new friends, including a girl she met at the library who lost her brother in a drowning accident.
On the day of the party, a massive thunderstorm hits and disaster strikes. Terrified by the thunder and lightning, Winn Dixie bolts. Opal and her father rush out into the blinding rain to search for Winn-Dixie. While they search for the dog, Opal and father’s feelings of loss over her missing mother boil over, and Opal confronts her father about why he didn’t stop her mother from leaving. Realizing they still have each other, they make up and continue their search, but they still don’t find the dog. Believing she is gone, they sadly return to Gloria’s house, only to discover Winn-Dixie was there the whole time. The book ends with everyone eating Ms. Block’s Littmus Lozenges and singing to Otis’s guitar playing.
APA Reference:
DiCamillo, K. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Somerville, MA: Candlewick Press.
Impressions:
I was a little skeptical of this book because I expected it to be a little maudlin, and to a degree, Kate DiCamillo didn’t let me down. Parts of the book are a little sappy and sentimental, but I was surprised at the emotional immediacy of the narrative; in fact, I read the whole book in one setting. There is very little action in the book. Most of the narrative is propelled forward by its emotional realism and the compelling point of view employed by DiCamillo. We view Opal’s situation through her own eyes, from a ten-year-old’s perspective of challenging and ultimately heart-rending experience. The immediacy and innocence of that voice is the driving force behind the book and one of the core reasons why the theme resonates so powerfully with readers. Even those who have never lost a parent can identify with the feelings of loss, loneliness, confusion, and rejection that Opal processes. What I liked most about this book was that her mother didn’t come back because I felt it was realistic. Sometimes, for various reasons, people in our lives will leave us. As Opal explores how to cope with that so do readers. The trusty and faithful pet is another character that all readers can identify with, even those who may not be able to have pets of their own. Everyone wants that feeling of unconditional acceptance and love. While Kate DiCamillo’s plot is sluggish and her language is unexceptional, the emotional realism she conveys makes this a truly heart-warming and moving book.
Professional Review:
FICTION Kate DiCamillo Because of Winn-Dixie 182 pp. Candlewick 3/00 isbn 0-7636-0776-2 15.99 (Intermediate)
According to Miss Franny Block, the town librarian in Naomi, Florida, her great-grandfather made his fortune after the Civil War by manufacturing a candy "that tasted sweet and sad at the same time." Ten-year-old India Opal Buloni (called Opal) thinks this description of the candy sounds a lot like life, where "the sweet and the sad were all mixed up together," too. It's also a pretty apt description of this engaging Southern-style first-person novel, featuring a girl and dog with a lot to offer each other. Children's literature is full of animal-to-the-rescue stories, but rarely does salvation come in the form of a creature with as much personality as Winn-Dixie. When Opal, who has just moved to town with her preacher father, discovers him cheerfully knocking over produce in the Winn-Dixie supermarket one day, it's obvious he's a stray. "Mostly, he looked like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain." His friendly manner, which involves pulling back his lips into what appears to be a smile, wins her over and, luckily, wins her father over as well. As if in gratitude for giving him a good home, Winn-Dixie immediately begins easing Opal's troubles, helping her make friends, who in turn help her come to terms with the fact that her mother abandoned her and probably won't be back. The story teeters on the edge of sentimentality and sometimes topples right in, but the characters are so likable, so genuine, it's an easy flaw to forgive. All in all, this is a gentle book about good people coming together to combat loneliness and heartache--with a little canine assistance. ~By Christine M. Hepperman
Hepperman, C.M. (2000). [Review of the book Because of Winn Dixie, by K.DiCamillo]. Horn Book Magazine, 76(4), 455-456. Retrieved from ProQuest Database. https://libproxy.library.unt.edu/loginurl=http://search.proquest.com/docview/199350503?accountid=7113
Library Uses:
Since much of the story revolves around the bond between Opal and Winn-Dixie, it might be fun to plan a PAWS for reading event in the library, where students could read to a therapy dog to build their reading fluency skills. Since Opal also reads to Gloria Dump, perhaps this concept could be further developed into a service learning project. Students could take a field trip to a local nursing home or hospice center to read their favorite books to residents. This would take considerable planning but could result in an authentic learning experience which would richly reward all involved.