Because of Winn-Dixie - Module 7

Because of Winn-Dixie

By Kate DiCamillo

Newbery Honor Book 2001

Published by Candlewick Press (2000)
Grades: 4-6

TALE

Opal is only a 10-year-old girl, but she feels the pressure of being the Preacher’s child, being raised without a mother, moving to a city where everybody is a stranger and nobody is a friend, and of being bullied by other children. Then, she meets Winn Dixie, a stray dog with a beautiful smile. Winn Dixie becomes part of the family and Opal’s great friend. Together they begin to learn about the neighborhood and their neighbors.

THOUGH

Because of Winn-Dixie is a sweet story about a very smart dog with a big sense of humor and a great smile (literally). He makes friends easily with anybody and because of him Opal has new friends, better understands her father’s feelings, learns more about her absent mother, and most important, she gives herself a chance to enjoy all of it!

Kate DiCamilo: “Opal’s story is about loss and love and friendship and forgiveness and community and hope. In short, it is about life.”

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

From http://www.katedicamillo.com/

“I was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, raised in Clermont, Florida, and currently live in Minneapolis, Minnesota. I write for both children and adults and I like to think of myself as a storyteller.

Here are a few more facts about me: I am short. And loud. I hate to cook and love to eat. I am single and childless, but I have lots of friends and I am an aunt to three lovely children (Luke, Roxanne, and Max) and one not so lovely dog (Henry).I think of myself as an enormously lucky person: I get to tell stories for a living.”

REVIEW

From SLJ Reviews 2000 June
Website: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/

Gr 4-6-India Opal Buloni, 10, finds a big, ugly, funny dog in the produce department of a Winn-Dixie grocery store. She names him accordingly and takes him home to meet her father, a preacher. Her daddy has always told her to help those less fortunate, and surely Winn-Dixie is in need of a friend. Opal needs one, too. Since moving to Naomi, FL, she has been lonely and has been missing her mother more than usual. When she asks her father to tell her 10 things about her mother, who left the family when Opal was three, she learns that they both have red hair, freckles, and swift running ability. And, like her mother, Opal likes stories. She collects tales to tell her mother, hoping that she'll have a chance to share them with her one day. These stories are lovingly offered one after another as rare and polished gems and are sure to touch readers' hearts. They are told in the voice of this likable Southern girl as she relates her day-to-day adventures in her new town with her beloved dog. Do libraries need another girl-and-her-dog story? Absolutely, if the protagonist is as spirited and endearing as Opal and the dog as lovable and charming as Winn-Dixie. This well-crafted, realistic, and heartwarming story will be read and reread as a new favorite deserving a long-term place on library shelves.-Helen Foster James, University of California at San Diego Copyright 2000 Cahners Business Information.

ACTIVITY

Just as the Preacher tells Opal 10 things about her mother, students will think and list 10 things about Winn-Dixie.