Mid-month Mention: Beloved Author Kate DiCamillo's Journey

Last month, I happened upon this article celebrating Kate DiCamillo's 20th anniversary of her book, The Tale of Despereaux. What joy! What happy memories I have of listening to Ms. McKee enthrall her 3rd grade class with her narration of this book! We were all transfixed, kids and teachers alike. This tender story of a hero-mouse tapped our deepest longings and healed our hidden wounds. I remember thinking, "Now, THIS is an outstanding writer!" Of course, this was just the beginning of my love affair with DiCamillo books. Then came Because of Winn-Dixie (one we listened to on our drive to and from CBLI family camp one year), and the Mercy Watson books (inciting my younger sons to parrot often, "toast with a great deal of butter"), and when they were a bit older, The Tiger Rising. I adored The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, another one I listened to while on a car trip, but I don't believe the boys were with me.

As I watched the accompanying video (a video of Jenna Bush interviewing Kate and encouraging children to read during the summer), I was blown away by a truth I didn't know. Kate asked students to guess how many rejection letters she received. I'm with them, my calculations would be between 5 and 50, but that is way out of the true range. 473! Unbelievable. Further admonishment to never give up! This is a fantastic writer, who accumulated more rejection letters than I can even fathom. I have not been as persistent! Indeed, for a spell, I have given up writing (apart from journaling and blogging) altogether. It saddens me to think of all the world would have lost, if Kate DiCamillo had responded the way I respond. Congratulations Despereaux on thrilling young readers for two decades! I'd give anything to travel back in time and relive those days in Ms. McKee's classroom watching children catch a passion for books and story.