Children's Book in a Film: Because of Winn-Dixie

Citation: DiCamillo, K. (2004). Because of Winn-Dixie. New York: Candlewick.

Questions:

1. What did you like or dislike about the book?
I liked the book because this story shows a character learning about herself through a dog. Through Winn-Dixie, Opal also learns about other people in her community and realizes that she is not alone. The dog and her new friends help her to cope with the loss of her mother; this book is a book that readers could connect with, whether through losing a parent, having a dog, or meeting unusual people.

2. What in your life may have influenced your reaction or response to this book?
Something in my life that may have influenced my reaction is that I have had pets in the past that were very important to me. The story also shows that an unlikely person or animal can unite many people.

3. How would you compare this book to another book or books, or book or books by same author?

Right now, I can’t think of any books that are similar to this. :D Books by the author include The Tale of Despereaux, The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, The Tiger Rising, and The Magician's Elephant.

4. What new thing (information or insight) did you learn about children's literature in reading this book?

This book was able to show how unlikely events bring people together. The book also gave the insight that despite hard times and thinking you won’t get through something, in time, you will. Opal was able to do this “because of Winn-Dixie.”

Comparison to the movie:

This book was very similar to the movie. I don’t think that there were many differences between the book and the movie. The characters are basically the same, as well as the events in the movie and the book.