The Tale of Despereaux

About the Authors

is the author of Because of Winn-Dixie, which received a Newbery Honor; The Tiger Rising, which was a National Book Award Finalist; The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane, which won a Boston Globe–Horn Book Award; the best-selling Mercy Watson series; and The Magician’s Elephant. About The Tale of Despereaux, she says, “My best friend’s son asked me if I would write a story for him. ‘It’s about an unlikely hero,’ he said, ‘one with exceptionally large ears.’ ‘What happens to this hero?’ I asked. ‘I don’t know,’ he said. ‘That’s why I want you to write the story, so we can find out.’ Well, Luke Bailey, here’s the tale of your exceptionally large-eared, extremely unlikely hero. Thank you for waiting so patiently.” Kate DiCamillo lives in Minneapolis.

is the author and illustrator of The Story of Frog Belly Rat Bone and Necks Out for Adventure!, as well as the illustrator of Mr. and Mrs. God in the Creation Kitchen by Nancy Wood, and Finn Throws a Fit! by David Elliot. His artwork has also appeared in magazines, theater sets, private murals, and fine art galleries. He says, “My mother may have been a mouse in her past life, as I watched her save and help so many mice in our house growing up. The illustrations I’ve done of Despereaux Tilling are, in a way, my tribute to her.”

Also by Kate DiCamillo:

Because of Winn-Dixie

The Magician’s Elephant

The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane

The Tiger Rising

Mercy Watson to the Rescue

Mercy Watson Goes for a Ride

Mercy Watson Fights Crime

Mercy Watson: Princess in Disguise

Mercy Watson Thinks Like a Pig

Mercy Watson:

Something Wonky This Way Comes

Great Joy