Genre:
Realistic Fiction
Book Summary:
India Opal Buloni and her father, The Preacher, move to a trailer
park in Naomi, Florida. On a trip to the grocery store, Opal finds a smiling dog
and brings him home. Named after the store where he was found, Winn Dixie and Opal
form a bond that brings together a menagerie of people and creatures to form an
unusual family. At first, Opal does not have any friends and spends her time at
the library where she befriends Miss Franny Block who tells them stories of the
Civil War and Naomi history. She also
meets and starts working for Otis, the pet store owner who plays guitar but has
a checkered past. Winn-Dixie leads her to a house where the Dewberry boys tell
her a witch lives. Instead, she finds Gloria Dump, a blind, recovering
alcoholic who takes a special interest in Opal and Winn-Dixie. She also meets
pinch-faced Amanda but learns about a family tragedy that made Amanda less than
friendly. Rounding out the rag-tag group are five-year-old Sweetie Pie Thomas
who desperately wants a dog but clings to Winn-Dixie instead, and the Dewberry
boys who antagonize Opal from the beginning. Gloria and Opal decide to throw a
party and invite all their friends. The party is a hit, but it begins to rain, causing
Winn-Dixie, who is deathly afraid of storms, to run away. During the search for
Winn-Dixie, Opal finally confronts her father about her mother, who left them
both, as she comes to the realization that her mother may never come back.
APA Reference of Book:
DiCamillo, Kate.
(2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Cambridge, Mass.: Candlewick Press.
Impressions:
The characters, especially Winn-Dixie, who brings them all
together, make this novel a true gem. Each one of them is like a puzzle piece
that fit together to form this tight, close-knit circle of friends. Opal’s
father loves her dearly but is honest with her about her mother, and this is
the most realistic aspect of the novel. The small town of Naomi is the perfect
backdrop to Opal’s carefree summer as she and Winn-Dixie explore the town and
meet the quirky inhabitants. Gloria helps Opal realize that while people make
mistakes, these mistakes do not define them or make them bad people. By confiding
in Opal about her own past mistakes, Gloria drives this point home.
Professional Review:
"My name is India Opal Buloni, and last
summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of
macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a
dog." There you have it: main characters and conflict, all in the first sentence.
But there's a lot more to this book. Opal has a singular voice with a simple,
infallibly Southern inflection; her daddy is one of the nicest and quirkiest
preachers to grace children's literature; and Winn-Dixie, named after the
grocery store from which Opal rescued him, is an ugly dog with a smile that
makes friends and also makes him sneeze, not to mention a pathological fear of
thunderstorms. In addition, readers will meet an elderly librarian whose
stories inject the small town Florida setting with a past; a "witchy"
neighbor who has hung a tree with beer and whiskey bottles, each representing a
mistake she's made in her life; a mentally challenged musician whose
street-singing once led him to jail and who now plays for the residents of a
pet store, including Gertrude the parrot, whose favorite word is
"Dog!" The one person we don't meet is Opal's mother, who abandoned
her family long ago. It is the pain of her absence that propels Opal into
friendships with all the characters whom Winn-Dixie eventually brings together,
lessening the loneliness of each. By turns funny and moving, vivid from trailer
park to pet store, this will propel readers into a satisfying circle of
companionship. BH
APA Reference of Professional Review:
Hearne, B. (2000). Because of Winn-Dixie. Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, 53(10), 354.
Library Uses:
Teacher/Librarian can create a bottle tree where students can
add acts of kindness or accomplishments.
Readalikes:
Shiloh, by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor – Marty finds an abused beagle he names Shiloh and hides the dog in the woods to keep him from the abusive owner. This is another great read about a dog who teaches valuable lessons to those who let him.
Pictures of Hollis Woods, by Patricia Reilly Giff – Named after the park where she was found abandoned, Hollis Woods finds solace when she is placed with Josie. But Josie is slipping, and rather than be forced into yet another foster home, Hollis retreats to her previous family’s cabin in the woods. Told between flashbacks of her time at the cabin with the Regan’s, Hollis’ tells of her journey to a family of her own.
Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls – Billy saves his money to buy two coon hounds who he names Old Dan and Little Ann. This story is about loyalty and friendship and the special relationship between a boy and his dogs.
Pictures of Hollis Woods, by Patricia Reilly Giff – Named after the park where she was found abandoned, Hollis Woods finds solace when she is placed with Josie. But Josie is slipping, and rather than be forced into yet another foster home, Hollis retreats to her previous family’s cabin in the woods. Told between flashbacks of her time at the cabin with the Regan’s, Hollis’ tells of her journey to a family of her own.
Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls – Billy saves his money to buy two coon hounds who he names Old Dan and Little Ann. This story is about loyalty and friendship and the special relationship between a boy and his dogs.
