Because of Winn-Dixie

              For such a small book, there is a lot going on. Indian Opal goes into a grocery store and a stray dog comes into the store. So, the dog does not have to go to the pound, Opal decides to adopt the dog and call him Winn-Dixie. Opal takes the dog home to her dad, who is a preacher. The reader finds out that Opal’s mom left them when she was a baby. Opal does not remember her mom and wants to learn more about her. She asks her dad about her mom and finds out ten things (ten things because she is 10) about her mom. As Opal gets use to the new town she is in, and befriends Winn-Dixie, she makes new friends and finds out that her life is not the only one with problems. She befriends the old lady that works at the library, who tells her stores. She befriends and works with Otis, the man at the pet shop, who gives her a job to buy a collar and leash for Winn-Dixie. She finds out that Otis had gone to jail for playing music on the street. She also becomes friends with Gloria Dump, a lady that lives by herself. People think that Gloria Dump is a witch, and when Winn-Dixie runs into Gloria’s yard, she finds out that there is more to her life than just a beautiful garden. Gloria shows Opal a tree with bottles hanging from the branches. The bottles represent all the trouble she has caused. She even befriends a little girl that she thought did not like her, but finds out that the little girl lost her brother a year ago, and is having a tough time with it. 

These can all be very hard topics to talk about with students. Students might have someone who has or is in jail. Students might be living with one parent because of a death or leaving. How do you talk about those situations with your students? I think that those situations are tough to talk about, but they should be talked about. Talking about tough situations teaches others to have empathy. But, how do you go about talking about tough situations? I would start with explaining that there are different reasons, like different reasons why people go to jail. I would ask talk about how people handle situations differently. I would also ask how they would feel if something like a family member leaving would make them feel. That is a tough subject, but could provide interesting answers.           

         In the book, Opal creates two different list. One list is ten things that her dad told her about her mom. The second list was ten things that she knows about Winn-Dixie. She created the Winn-Dixie list when she thought Winn-Dixie ran away during a storm. I would ask students to write a list of ten things that are special about someone in their family, a friend or even a pet. I think they could even make several different lists. It would be interesting to see what things the student sees as important when creating a list.

         I liked this book. For me this was a very easy read, but there was so much to create themes and lessons around. I think students would like this book, and it would keep them interested.