Movie vs. Book- Because of Winn Dixie

Because of Winn Dixie is a story that touched not only my heart but also the hearts of my students. It’s about a 10 year old girl named Opal and a big, annoying dog that needs someone to love him. Opal and her father (a preacher), move to a new town because he has a new church to preach yet. Opal meets many of her neighbors that live in the same trailor park and in her town. Some are more unique that others. As she makes friends, along with her new friend Winn Dixie, she begins to feel welcome. She forgets about her unhappiness that has resulted from her mother abandoning her and her father, and she begins to enjoy life and the people around her.

The book and the movie were a lot alike. However, there were some differences that I noticed. In the book, the story begins at the Winn Dixie store where the dog causes a disruptions. In the movie, the story begins with Opal coming to the building that used to be a convenient store. Her dad is preaching. She prays that she will make some friends. Then her father sends her to the Winn Dixie. Another difference is that the landlord is much more forceful in the movie by continuously demanding that they get rid of the dog. Opal's father gives her a harder time about giving the dog away than what was represented in the book. More information is given in the movie about certain events such as, how she got her name. She was named India because her father was a missionary in India and Opal was her mother's name. The ending is also different in the movie than in the book. At the end of the movie, they were looking for Winn Dixie, and they couldn't find him, so everyone began singing a hymn, and Winn Dixie began howling outside the front door. Everyone became excited because he came back. They begin to sing songs again. In the book, the story ended with Gloria, Franny and Opal singing. Sweetie Pie heard somebody sneeze, and they discover that Winn-Dixie is hiding under Otis's bed.

I enjoyed reading the book and watching the movie. I love the story. My students read this book during literature circles and then we watched the movie in class. They really enjoyed comparing and contrasting the two.