Parents' Guide to Because of Winn-Dixie

When the narrator of BECAUSE OF WINN-DIXIE, India Opal Buloni, takes home a stray dog she finds at the supermarket, her whole life begins to change. Opal has just moved to the small town of Naomi, Florida, with her father, a preacher who "reminded me of a turtle hiding inside its shell." Her mother abandoned them years before, and Opal feels alone and sad in her new town. One day at the supermarket, she meets a stray dog whose fur looks "like a big piece of old brown carpet that had been left out in the rain." The dog has gotten into the store and and is knocking over product displays with his wagging tale. The store manager says he's going to call the pound, so Opal saves him, telling the manager that the dog is hers and his name is Winn-Dixie. Winn-Dixie's adorable, silly behavior --his friendliness, his funny sneeze-smile, and the way he howls whenever he's left alone -- endears him to new friends. As Opal gets to know her new neighbors, she learns that many of them have sorrows of their own, and she takes a collection of wallflowers into her heart: the ex-con who runs the pet shop; a blind old woman who's rumored to be a witch; an elderly librarian with stories to share; a pinched-faced girl who acts superior to Opa;, and a few more children who need friends just as much as Opal does.