Because of Winn-Dixie

I read Because of Winn-Dixie, a Newberry Honor book written by Kate DiCamillo, in less than 24 hours. It was such a fast read and once I started it, I didn’t want to put it down. I just had to find out what happens to Opal and her dog Winn-Dixie. I loved the description of how the once stray dog came into ten-year old Opal and her father’s life.

One day her father sends her to Winn-Dixie to buy some groceries, and she comes home with a dog she has named after the store. Opal doesn’t think that her father will let her keep the dog, but his reaction surprises her and she is allowed to keep him. Winn-Dixie helps Opal make friends in her new town, like Otis, Gloria Dump, Miss Franny, Sweetie Pie, Amanda, Dunlap, and Stevie. Winn-Dixie also helps Opal get over her mother’s leaving her and her father. Although she will always think about her mother, she will never think of her as much as before she met Winn-Dixie.

Some of the things Winn-Dixie did reminded me of my dog. He used to sit in front of a fan all day during the summer, just like Winn-Dixie does at the library. Laddie even used to sit on an air conditioning vent all to himself whenever he got hot.

When Gloria tells Opal that “you can only love what you’ve got while you’ve got it” (167), it reminds me of a quote from the book Breakfast at Tiffany’s that you should never love a wild thing. Although Winn-Dixie is found at the end of the story and didn’t actually get lost, this quote shows that it is important to appreciate and be thankful for what you have when you have it. You never know when you might not have it any longer.

I loved learning the ways in which Opal is like her mother, other than hat they look alike. Both Opal and her mother are good at growing things, as we see at the end of the book when Opal checks on her plant in Gloria’s yard. They are both also fast runners. Opal says that she used to beat the other kids at her old school, and she beats Dunlap back to the party at the end of the book.

I read this book right after I finished reading DiCamillo’s Tale of Despereaux. They seem like very different stories to me, although animals play a large role in both stories. The Tale of Despereaux was a fantasy story, weaving together elements of other fairy tales. Because of Winn-Dixie is a realistic fiction story. Both, however, teach the reader important life lessons.

Because of Winn-Dixie teaches us that we should not judge others. We learn that Otis has been in jail, but that we shouldn’t focus on that and should instead focus on the wonderful music he plays for the animals and the freedom he grants them. Dunlap and Stevie think Gloria is a witch, but Opal befriends her anyway and gains a wonderful new friend. A second important theme is that people all have a lot in common with each other. Even though Opal doesn’t like Amanda at first, they both have lost someone close to them—a brother and a mother. As a result, they become friends. This is a wonderful read for kids and adults alike!

I remember this book being made into a movie recently and wonder how the two compare. Has anyone seen the movie?