Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery [Paperback]

Deborah Howe (Author), James Howe (Author), Alan Daniel (Illustrator)

Book Description

Release date: August 8, 2006 | Age Range: 8 and up | Series: Bunnicula | Lexile Measure: 700L (What's this?)

BEWARE THE HARE!

Is he or isn't he a vampire?

Before it's too late, Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in the Monroe household -- a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits...and fangs!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

This immensely popular children's story is told from the point of view of a dog named Harold. It all starts when Harold's human family, the Monroes, goes to see the movie Dracula, and young Toby accidentally sits on a baby rabbit wrapped in a bundle on his seat. How could the family help but take the rabbit home and name it Bunnicula? Chester, the literate, sensitive, and keenly observant family cat, soon decides there is something weird about this rabbit. Pointy fangs, the appearance of a cape, black-and-white coloring, nocturnal habits … it sure seemed like he was a vampire bunny. When the family finds a white tomato in the kitchen, sucked dry and colorless, well … Chester becomes distraught and fears for the safety of the family. "Today, vegetables. Tomorrow … the world!" he warns Harold. But when Chester tries to make his fears known to the Monroes, he is completely misunderstood, and the results are truly hilarious. Is Bunnicula really a vampire bunny? We can't say. But any child who has ever let his or her imagination run a little wild will love Deborah and James Howe's funny, fast-paced "rabbit-tale of mystery." (Ages 9 to 12) --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal

Grade 2-6-It has been 20 years since Deborah and James Howe wrote Bunnicula (Atheneum, 1979), and what better way to celebrate than this new unabridged recording read by actor Victor Garber (Titanic, Sleepless in Seattle). Garber gives an educated dignity to Harold, the Monroe family dog. His voice inflections and accent changes to clearly define each character as he calmly relates the story. This is a straight reading of the text, without musical interruptions or sound effects. Each cassette side ends in silence with no direction to turn over or forward the tape. Harold relates the story of how the Monroes find a rabbit at a showing of Dracula. They bring the bunny home and name him Bunnicula. Chester, the cat, soon suspects that Bunnicula is a vampire rabbit and takes it upon himself to rid the house of the cursed bunny. With the reluctant help of Harold ,they torture the rabbit with garlic, and unsuccessfully attempt to pound a raw steak through Bunnicula's heart. In the end, it is up to Harold to save Bunnicula and calm the nerves of Chester. Bunnicula is a classic that shows no signs of becoming dated. The recording included a touching afterward by James Howe who relates how his late wife Deborah came to create this story, and to finish it despite her battle with cancer. A must for any library lacking in the bunny occult.
Todd Dunkelberg, Deschutes Public Library System, OR
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Audio Cassette edition.

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Product Details

• Age Range: 8 and up
  
• Paperback: 128 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (August 8, 2006)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1416928170
• ISBN-13: 978-1416928171
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.2 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (154 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #8,446 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #16 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Mammals
  • #18 in Books > Children's Books > Animals > Pets
  • #69 in Books > Children's Books > Education & Reference > Language Arts

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

68 of 72 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Bunniculee, Bunnicula, Bunniculee, Bunicula-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha-ha! November 27, 2005

By E. R. Bird HALL OF FAMETOP 500 REVIEWER

Format:Paperback

Children's librarians have to prepare for certain kinds of questions. When a child walks up to your Reference Desk, you need to be ready to get them the exact book they're looking for at the exact moment that they want it. I get a lot of young kids, mostly girls, who want a good vampire book of their very own. Aside from the usual "Vampire State Building" and "Dracula Is a Pain In the Neck", both by Elizabeth Levy, there's really not a lot out there to recommend wholeheartedly. In fact, nine times out of ten, I find myself suggesting that most accessible of vampirism books, "Bunnicula". It doesn't star a human vampire, but you can hardly blame me. Now just this past week I found myself in the unenviable position of needing to find lots and lots and lots of copies of a single book for the upcoming meeting of my homeschooler bookgroup. And what delightful chapter book did I have enough copies in my library branch to satisfy screaming hoards of homeschooled kiddies? Again, it's "Bunnicula" to the rescue. It may not seem at first glance to have earned itself the moniker of "classic children's book", but I can attest right here and right now that when it comes to lifesaving go-to titles, I'll take "Bunnicula" over "Bridge To Terebithia" or "Are You There God, It's Me Margaret", any day.

Some dogs have an inherent dignity about them that sees them through even the most ridiculous of situations with their heads held high. Harold is such a dog. Harold lives, with his close companion Chester the cat, with the Monroe family. Life with the Monroes has never been what you would call "exciting". That is, until the family comes back one day from a "Dracula" film with a tiny shivering rabbit found in the theater. They promptly name him Bunnicula in honor of the film but the bunny is not much of a companion. He sleeps all day and never seems to touch his food. When Chester becomes convinced that the rabbit is actually a vampire he takes it upon himself (with a reluctant Harold in tow) to defeat this new nemesis to the Monroe home.

Bunnies are the quintessential unexpected villains of books and films. When you've already been pegged as the world's most harmless mammal, it's amazing how threatening you become out of context. Movies like "Donnie Darko", "Sexy Beast", "Monty Python and the Holy Grail", and television shows like "The Maxx" and "Buffy the Vampire Slayer" have all played on evil-rabbit (or rabbit fearing) situations. It makes perfect sense that a children's book would do the same. In this book, husband/wife team of Deborah and James Howe strike just the right balance between creepy-crawly threat and completely ludicrous situation. For this reason, Harold is the perfect narrator. He may not be as clever and well-read as Chester, but he has a kind of down-to-earth common sense that keeps him clear of Chester's fads and frenzies. Though the book was written originally in 1978, the part of the book where the cat becomes enamored of self-help and self-esteem books (such as "Finding Yourself By Screaming A Lot") rings as true, if not truer, today.

It's the humor that buoys up the book. The Howes aren't afraid to plug in little jokes that kids may not get here and there. For example, when Chester and Harold are discussing what vampires actually do, Chester says that they bite people on the next. Harold responds (with some alarm) that Mrs. Monroe has bitten Mr. Monroe on the neck and does that make her a vampire? Chester scoffs at this. "Boy, are you dumb. She's not a vampire. She's a lawyer". Cue the adults reading this book aloud to their kids thinking to themselves that the difference may not be so great after all. The pacing of "Bunnicula" commands some appreciation as well. Though a slim 98 pages, the Howes have found a way to keep the action tight and the plot convincing. I would venture to say that there are few books out there more difficult to write than early chapter books with lots of pictures that are less than 100 pages and still wholly original. Finally, illustrator Alan Daniel gives us some great pictures in this book. I was more than a little pleased to find that he's gone on to illustrate the "Cat Pack" books by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor. Couldn't have happened to a better guy.

Kids who are beginning to get comfortable with chapter books but who haven't completely put down their "Captain Underpants" novels will find much to enjoy in this book. Animal lovers and fans of the supernatural alike will appreciate what the Howes were able to accomplish here. A great book and a wonderfully remembered one as well.

37 of 40 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars One of the most entertaining stories I've read! November 22, 1999

By Tiger Lily

Format:Paperback

The first time I was introduced to this book was as a child in elementary school. My teacher read us a little bit of this book everyday right before lunch. I got my own copy a couple years later and have reread it a couple time every year - quite a few times as I'm now 26! I love the opening page where Harold is sitting in front of the nice, warm radiator. It always made me feel like curling up under a blanket in the middle of winter with this book. My favorite character is Chester (the cat) because he's so zany. He provides non-stop entertainment in his quest to get rid of the vampire bunny. To this day, I still laugh when I get to the part where he has to pound a stake into the vampire's heart! I would recommend this book to kids of all ages (even the over 20 group)!

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars bunnicula December 12, 2001

A Kid's Review

Format:Paperback

I read the book Bunnicula. It's about a dog named Harold
and a cat named Chester. And of course a rabbit named
Bunnicula.(not your ordinary cuddley rabbit.)
It all started when harold and chester's owners came
home from a dracula movie.And the owners didn't come
home by themselves. They came with a box with a rabbit
in it.They put the rabbit in a cage. They had some
trouble nameing the rabbit. But they finally found
the name of bunnicula. Probably because of the fact
that they found bunnicula at a dracula movie.
And they sure picked the right name for him. Chester
began to notice that the black spot on Bunnicula looked
like a cape. Chester stayed awake to see what bunnicula
did at night.(I would of though a rabbit would sleep
at night.) Chester noticed that the sly rabbit wasn't
in his cage. He heard a noise in the kitchen. The door
of the kitchen opened. And guess who was hopping happily
out of the kitchen.(That was a sentance from the book.)
The next morning all of the veggitables were white.
On the third time Bunnicula went out for his midnight snack
Chester was prepared. He was trying to starve Bunnicula.
Harold yelled at Chester. Bunnicula looked sick.A few
days later Harold took Bunnicula out of his cage and
lead him to the kitchen. I can't tell the ending because
this is an online review. I recommend this book if you
like bunny vampires.