Kate DiCamillo Presentation
chesneyleeKate DiCamillo
Biography
- Born on March 25, 1964 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
- Suffered from Chronic Pneumonia as a child
- Father abandoned the family when they moved to Florida
- Attended the University of Florida to study English
- Moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota and started working in a book warehouse
- Started writing because of loneliness
- Writes children's books, but is single and has no children
Source: www.britannica.com
Award Winning Author
Kate Dicamillo's books
Because of Winn-Dixie (2000)- 2001 Newberry HonorNovels
Tiger Rising (2001) - National Book Award Finalist
The Tale of Despereaux (2003)- 2004 Newberry Medal
The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane (2006)- Boston Globe-Horn Book Award
The Magician's Elephant (2009)
Flora and Ulysses: the Illuminated Adventures (2013)- 2014 Newberry Medal
The Mercy Watson Series- includes 6 books, one of which was a Theodore Geisel Honor BookBeginning Chapter Books
Bink and Gollie Series- currently 3 books, one of which won the Theodore Geisel Award
Stories about hope and belief amid impossible circumstances
Interesting Facts
Curiosities of Kate DiCamillo
- Named the 2014 National Ambassador for Young People's Literature by the Library of Congress
- Consistently writes 2 pages a day, 5 days a week
- Did not start writing until she was 29
- Has a poem by Marge Piercy ending with the line "Work is it's own cure. You have to like it better than being loved" taped to her desk
- Wrote for 6 years without selling anything, and received over 500 rejection slips.
Sources: www.katedicamillostoriesconnectus.com www.scholastic.com www.barnesandnoble.com/writers
The miraculous journey of edward tulane
What happens when you do not love those who love you?
Edward Tulane, a china rabbit that is greatly loved by a little girl named Abilene, found this out through a chance of fate when he falls into the ocean.
He goes on an adventure filled with ups and downs, and he meets many people. He is rescued by a fisherman and his wife, ends up in a dump, and is rescued again a hobo and his dog.
He becomes a scarecrow, and then is taken down by a little boy, who takes him to his sister. Through tragedy
Edward finally ends up at a doll shop in the hands of a doll mender.
Along the journey Edward learned to love even though love often hurt.
In the end, Edward is discovered by the first person who truly loved him, and this time he willing returns her love.
Flora and Ulysses:
the illuminated Adventures
The adventure begins when a young self-proclaimed cynic named Flora rescues a squirrel named Ulysses from a vacuum cleaner. Flora is certain that Ulysses has super powers including flying, lifting heavy objects, and writing poetry.
Of course with any superhero story, there must be a villain. This role is filled by Flora's mother who attempts to kill Ulysses on multiple occasions.
In the end, Flora's mother is saved from an evil cat by Ulysses, and Ulysses finally is able to write a poem for Flora
The only people who believe Flora is her neighbor Tootie and Tootie's nephew William Spiver, until an adventure in a donut shop leads many more people to believe in Ulysses.
"Reading should not be presented to children as a chore or a duty. It should be offered to them as a precious gift." -Kate DiCamillo
"We forget that the simple gesture of putting a book into someone's hands can change a life. I want to remind you that it can. I want to thank you because it did." -Kate DiCamillo
