I am really glad I read this book. I've read other books by Kate DiCamillo such as The Tiger Rising, but I'd always held off a little bit on The Tale of Despereaux, foolishly thinking maybe it wasn't as good as all the hype. Fortunately, it is.
The story itself is such a fast read. DiCamillo's use of the language just pushes the reader forward, especially when she talks to the reader. She has built a bridge between the author and the reader to get the reader a little more involved. To do this, she often switches tenses, first talking about Despereaux or Roscura or Mig Sow, then suddenly referring to herself as the author! As the reader, it made me feel like there was someone with me, making humorous comments or remarks. I read silently, but it felt like a read aloud. The questions she poses would be especially interesting for a class to answer. For example, what would kids say to "Reader, do you believe that there is such a thing as happily ever after? Or, like Despereaux, have you, too, begun to question the possibility of happy endings?" p. 58. At that point I thought, this book better have a happy ending...
DiCamillo also abbreviates her language to emphasize their importance by putting one or two words on a line, i.e. 'goose eggs', or just 'nothing'. The extra space around the word forces the reader to stop and take stock in what was said. How powerful and important must that word 'nothing' be, such as in chapter 50 - in which the princess says his name.
Though a children's story, The Tale of Despereaux has some very insightful moments. There were a few times when I got caught up in the idea of hope and faith and love, completely taken with these characters I'd only known for a few short minutes. At the end I had to take a step back and remember that the princess was only 12, and yet she "was aware suddenly of how fragile her heart was, how much darkness was inside it, fighting, always, with the light. She did not like the rat. She would never like the rat, but she knew what she must do to save her own heart." p. 264 Incredible! Such wisdom, such heart - hers will heal correctly, unlike Roscuro who was destined to belong nowhere.
I also enjoyed the pictures/illustrations. Every once in a while it's nice to have a visual representation to keep my mind on track. For some reason (probably leftover from Bridge), I kept imagining this as a movie - I bet it would be great! Michael J. Fox would be a great mouse voice. Oh wait, he was Stuart Little. No wonder I thought he'd be great, he's already done it before. Maybe Haley Joel Osment? What's he doing these days?
I wish I could talk to animals.
The story itself is such a fast read. DiCamillo's use of the language just pushes the reader forward, especially when she talks to the reader. She has built a bridge between the author and the reader to get the reader a little more involved. To do this, she often switches tenses, first talking about Despereaux or Roscura or Mig Sow, then suddenly referring to herself as the author! As the reader, it made me feel like there was someone with me, making humorous comments or remarks. I read silently, but it felt like a read aloud. The questions she poses would be especially interesting for a class to answer. For example, what would kids say to "Reader, do you believe that there is such a thing as happily ever after? Or, like Despereaux, have you, too, begun to question the possibility of happy endings?" p. 58. At that point I thought, this book better have a happy ending...
DiCamillo also abbreviates her language to emphasize their importance by putting one or two words on a line, i.e. 'goose eggs', or just 'nothing'. The extra space around the word forces the reader to stop and take stock in what was said. How powerful and important must that word 'nothing' be, such as in chapter 50 - in which the princess says his name.
Though a children's story, The Tale of Despereaux has some very insightful moments. There were a few times when I got caught up in the idea of hope and faith and love, completely taken with these characters I'd only known for a few short minutes. At the end I had to take a step back and remember that the princess was only 12, and yet she "was aware suddenly of how fragile her heart was, how much darkness was inside it, fighting, always, with the light. She did not like the rat. She would never like the rat, but she knew what she must do to save her own heart." p. 264 Incredible! Such wisdom, such heart - hers will heal correctly, unlike Roscuro who was destined to belong nowhere.
I also enjoyed the pictures/illustrations. Every once in a while it's nice to have a visual representation to keep my mind on track. For some reason (probably leftover from Bridge), I kept imagining this as a movie - I bet it would be great! Michael J. Fox would be a great mouse voice. Oh wait, he was Stuart Little. No wonder I thought he'd be great, he's already done it before. Maybe Haley Joel Osment? What's he doing these days?
I wish I could talk to animals.
PS - AHH. I just looked it up. It IS going to be a movie! With Justin Long! Ahh! http://imdb.com/title/tt0420238/
4 comments:
I love reading your posts, Katie! I know I always comment on them, but I just can't resist! I was actually laughing out loud when I got to the end of this post... will you be my movie date when this one comes out?
On another note- I actually had to remind myself that the princess was only 12 after reading your post. I am actually just thinking now how DiCamillo chose not to focus on the tragedy of losing a mother, but rather on the hope of healing a broken heart. That is a beautiful message.
I must say that I did not like this book when I read it. Now, as I am reading everyone's posts I am thinking that I need to read this one again and give it another chance. Thank you for your insight.
I, too, enjoyed the book. My favorite part of the book was DiCamillo's conversation with us, her readers. I also belived this book would be a wonderful read aloud to engage students in conversations provoked by DiCamillo's explicit comments to her readers. Also, I thought the pictures were excellent additions to the chapter book. If we thought it was nice to have the visual representations, imagine how excited/thankful children are when they read this book. What did you think of the paper mache endpages - I thought they were a really neat touch to the book!
Would you recommend the other books you have read by this author? How did Despereaux compare? Do they all use animals as characters?
I am always on the lookout for authors who write stories with meaningful messages. Despereaux is definitely one I would use with the kids.
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