The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo
Winner, 2004 Newbery Award
Quick Summary
A big-eared, sickly mouse transforms into an unlikely hero in a tale involving an evil rat, a not-too-bright servant girl, and a beautiful princess.
Favorite Quote
Say the word "quest" out loud. It is an extraordinary word, isn't it? So small and yet so full of wonder, so full of hope.
About the Author
Kate DiCamillo is the author of many children's books, including the Newbery award winning book Flora and Ulysses. (See my earlier blog post for my thoughts on that book.)
My Project
For the background, I embossed a paper with a music pattern (Despereaux's love of music gets him into trouble!) and then painted over it to give it a slightly rough, old texture. To create Despereaux, I felted some brown wool and added a cute pink nose, black bead (but not beady!) eyes, and white whiskers. I added a fancy gold-colored spoon (soup plays a pivotal role at the royal castle) knotted with some symbolic red thread. A thimble is used as a drum in the book. I added a bit of paint to the thimble just for fun.
Final Thoughts
This story had an old-world feel that made it seem like a forgotten fairy tale from long ago. The copy of the book I checked out from the library even had deckle-edge pages, which are those roughly edged pages that don't seem to be as common as they used to be. I liked how the book was written in four parts, each focusing on a different character. I thought I'd be bothered by the way the narrator addresses the reader directly throughout ("Reader, you may ask this question..."), but it actually makes the book feel like a story that has been passed down orally through the ages. The Tale of Despereaux is also the title of an animated movie "loosely based" on the book. I have no plans to see the movie; I'm almost certain it would be a disappointment after the book.
Your Turn
Readers: If you read this book, I'd love to hear what you think in the comments.
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