The #1 New York Times bestseller and beloved classic includes an afterword from the author. One summer’s day, ten-year-old India Opal Buloni goes down to the local supermarket for some groceries—and comes home with a dog. But Winn-Dixie is no ordinary dog. It’s because of Winn-Dixie that Opal begins to make friends. And it’s because of Winn-Dixie that she finally dares to ask her father about her mother, who left when Opal was three. In fact, as Opal admits, just about everything that happens that summer is because of Winn-Dixie. “This book is (I hope) a hymn of praise to dogs, friendship, and the South,” Kate DiCamillo said of her best-selling debut novel, which has been awarded a Newbery Honor, translated into nearly thirty languages, and turned into a major motion picture. The story of a preacher’s daughter named Opal whose life is transformed by a scruffy dog named Winn-Dixie continues to touch the hearts of readers of all ages. "Take one disarmingly engaging protagonist and put her in the company of a tenderly rendered canine and you've got yourself a recipe for the best kind of down-home literary treat. Kate DiCamillo's voice in Because of Winn-Dixie should carry from the steamy, sultry pockets of Florida clear across the miles to enchant young readers everywhere ." — Karen Hesse, author of the Newbery-award winner Out of the Dust “Brush strokes of magical realism elevate this beyond a simple story of friendship to a well-crafted tale of community and fellowship, of sweetness, sorrow, and hope. And it's funny, too. A real gem .” – Kirkus Reviews (starred review) “ [E]xquisitely crafted first novel. Each chapter possesses an arc of its own and reads almost like a short story in its completeness; yet the chapters add up to much more than a sum of their parts . . . This bittersweet tale of contemporary life in a small Southern town will hold readers rapt.” –Publishers Weekly (starred review) “A gentle book about good people coming together to combat lonliness and heartache--with a little canine assistance.” – The Horn Book “This well-crafted, realistic, and heartwarming story will be read and reread as a new favorite deserving a long-term place on library shelves.” – School Library Journal (starred review) “ Poignant and delicately told.” – The New York Times Book Review “The books' truthfulness is what makes it so powerful . People can identify with the fact that everyone sort of isolates themselves because of a misconnection or a loss or whatever is in their lives.” – Newsday “It's the kind of book people love and tell their friends to read.” – Washington Post “An enchanting little book with a touch of magic, a cast of great characters, and a lot of real life and wisdom.” – Star Tribune “Both kids and grown-ups love it . . . it's a great read-aloud book . . . it has scooped up numerous awards . . . it's an unforgettable story about making friends.” – Orlando Sentinel Kate DiCamillo is the beloved author of many books for young readers, including the Orris and Timble, Mercy Watson, and Tales from Mercy Watson’s Deckawoo Drive series. Her books Flora & Ulysses and The Tale of Despereaux both received Newbery Medals. A former National Ambassador for Young People’s Literature, she lives in Minneapolis. Chapter One My name is India Opal Buloni, and last summer my daddy, the preacher, sent me to the store for a box of macaroni-and-cheese, some white rice, and two tomatoes and I came back with a dog. This is what happened: I walked into the produce section of the Winn-Dixie grocery store to pick out my two tomatoes and I almost bumped right into the store manager. He was standing there all red-faced, screaming and waving his arms around.    “Who let a dog in here?” he kept on shouting. “Who let a dirty dog in here?”    At first, I didn’t see a dog. There were just a lot of vegetables rolling around on the floor, tomatoes and onions and green peppers. And there was what seemed like a whole army of Winn-Dixie employees running around waving their arms just the same way the store manager was waving his.    And then the dog came running around the corner. He was a big dog. And ugly. And he looked like he was having a real good time. His tongue was hanging out and he was wagging his tail. He skidded to a stop and smiled right at me. I had never before in my life seen a dog smile, but that is what he did. He pulled back his lips and showed me all his teeth. Then he wagged his tail so hard that he knocked some oranges off a display, and they went rolling everywhere, mixing in with the tomatoes and onions and green peppers.    The manager screamed, “Somebody grab that dog!”    The dog went running over to the manager, wagging his tail and smiling. He stood up on his hind legs. You could tell that all he wanted to do was get face to face with the manager and thank him for the good time he was having in the produce department, but somehow he ended up knocking th