It Came from Beneath the Bed! (Hardcover)

by James Howe (Author), Brett Helquist (Illustrator) "Uncle Harold-who is a dog, like me, and not even my uncle, I just call him that-gotme this real cool notebook from under Pete's bed..." (more)
Key Phrases: dachshund puppy, koala bear, Amber Faye

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
There's nothing like a series to keep kids turning pages. Bunnicula's family is back, and Uncle Harold steps aside to let Howie, the family dachshund, tell all in It Came from Beneath the Bed!, the first in the Tales from the House of Bunnicula series by James Howe, illus. by Brett Helquist. The inaugural adventure finds the doggy fighting off a marauding stuffed animal culled from the clutter. In Book 2, Invasion of the Mind Swappers from Asteroid 6!, Howie must save Delilah from aliens and thwart their plan to take over the planet. With Helquist's illustrations and a tongue-in-cheek note to readers on the back of the book, the unjacketed hardcovers bear a strong resemblance to Lemony Snicket's A Series of Unfortunate Events. For Beach Reading...
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6-Yet another canine member of the Monroe menagerie flirts with literary glory in this mock horror tale. Harold, the "sad-eyed, droopy-eared" stories-must-be-told narrator of previous adventures, defers to his "nephew" to script this series, and the books turn out to be unexpected how-to-write-a-story primers. Harold serves as Howie's experienced editor who offers (often hilariously unheeded) advice and sage insight into a writer's lonely, compulsive, roller-coaster life. His timeless "write what you know" pearl transforms into a narcissistic, Woody Allenesque parody of a detective novel in which literary license has obviously been revoked. Howie revises as Harold criticizes and the story about conquering a ravenous stuffed koala bear that has come to life takes off. Notebook-like "Howie's Writing Journal" pages are interspersed throughout the text to apprise readers of his tortuous writing process. These "tales" could easily become the standard textbook for creative-writing classes.
John Sigwald, Unger Memorial Library, Plainview, TX
Copyright 2002 Reed Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Hardcover: 96 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1 edition (July 1, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0689839472
• ISBN-13: 978-0689839474
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 6.2 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #383,161 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Learn Writing from a Dog....Fun way to teach kids, March 29, 2003

By	"mhpulham" (Lindon, Utah USA) - See all my reviews

After taking many writing classes on "how to teach kids to write"...I stumbled across James Howe's new series, "Tales From the House of Bunnicula"...and I began to learn how to teach writing, from a dog. The whole time I was reading the book, lesson plans popped into my head... "I could use this to teach simile...or that would make a great lesson on 'cliffhangers', or when and how to use adjectives...and this part would show what 'literary license' means..... the book is full of laugh-out-loud humor. I can't wait to share these tales with my fourth grade students. Jame Howe's books are not only fun to read, but you soon realize that you can learn a lot from a dog...and from great authors. This is a Howling Success, I know I'll be using them in my classroom.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Biggest Koala Bear in the world!!, October 22, 2003

A Kid's Review

I enjoyed this book even though I did not read the other books in the series. Bunnicula is about a boy who wants to rule the world. He made a potion and spilt it on his stuffed Koala Bear named Pudgykins.The potion made Pudgykins grow really, really big. He was eating everything. After he ate one thing he grew one foot taller. At the end of the book they put him on a boat and brought him to to an Island where people dump trash. People were trying to figure out what to do with him. But they just left him on the Island. I like this book very much.

5.0 out of 5 stars Good read for kids., December 2, 2007

By	J. Farsaci - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: It Came from Beneath the Bed! (Paperback)

My son was so excited when he was given this book to add to his 'Bunnicula' collection. It has turned out to be a great book, like the others in the series.