The House That Drac Built (Paperback)

~ (Author), Will Hillenbrand (Illustrator) "This is the house that Drac built..." (more)
Key Phrases: coffin under the floor

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

PreSchool-Grade 3-A Halloween version of the familiar cumulative rhyme. Things get a little out of hand at Count Dracula's house- "This is the mummy from days of yore/that rose from the coffin under the floor/that fell on the monster whose bloodcurdling roar/startled the fearsome manicore..." It is only when a group of trick-or-treaters comes on the scene that all is carefully put back to rights. The darkly muted oil pastel illustrations augment the ghoulishness of the tale, with a hidden clue leading readers from one double-page spread to the next. The creatures are suitably gruesome, but because of their friendly expressions should be nonthreatening. A definite hit for holiday story programs.
Beth Irish, Orange Public Library, CA
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From Booklist

Ages 5^-7. As might be expected, the house that Drac built isn't quite the same as the one built by Jack, but the rhyme winds and unwinds with the same force and structure in both their stories. In Drac's house, everything begins when a cat bites a bat, and it isn't till a group of children in Halloween costumes visits the house that everything is put to rights--from soothing "the fearsome manticore" to bandaging the bat. Hillenbrand's monsters are quite detailed, but even at their rowdiest, they aren't truly terrifying. They're more like costumed children who are grumpy and out of control. Good for a seasonal story hour. Mary Harris Veeder --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Paperback: 32 pages
• Publisher: Voyager Books; 1st Voyager Books Ed edition (September 15, 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0152018794
• ISBN-13: 978-0152018795
• Product Dimensions: 10.7 x 8.8 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #270,997 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

7 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Yuck, November 10, 2005

By	K. - See all my reviews

This review is from: The House That Drac Built (Hardcover)

This is one of the only books I'm willing to pay my own shipping to return it. I bought this because I liked 'Twas the Fright Before Christmas, and I liked the unique yet cute artwork of all the monsters in it and the details in the background. But this book, The House that Drac Built-- it's hard to believe it's the same artist! I have tons of picture books, and this has the ugliest artwork of them all. The manicore is gross-- a weird face and sausage-link tail. I didn't find the artwork creepy or scary in the way I'd love to see in a Halloween book for a change, but this art was just completely unappealing. I love Halloween picture books, but I highly recommend In the Haunted House and The Bones of Fred McFee, both by Eve Bunting, Room on the Broom by Julia Donaldson, The Old Lady who Was Not Afraid of Anything by Linda Williams, or for an edgier book, Cinderella Skeleton Robert D. San Souci all over this one.

6 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is a fabulous book to teach basic counting skills., September 6, 1998

By A Customer

This review is from: The House That Drac Built (Hardcover)

I am a student studying to be a teacher at UNL. I used The House That Drac Built for a lesson on counting. I created a felt board and allowed the children to add the characters as I read. We counted them and then took them away at the end when the children arrive at Drac's home. I found this book to be very entertaing and useful in my lesson. It served as a perfect way to integrate literature into my Math lesson If you agree with me, please respond and let me know what you think! I would love to know what you think!

5.0 out of 5 stars Fantastic Artwork!, October 28, 2009

By	anonymous - See all my reviews

The artwork is wonderful, and it's a great read. It is worthy of the original "The house that Jack Built." Just a great story with beautiful illustrations that draw you in and make you want to linger on each page. Kindergarten teacher read it in my daughter's class and we fell in love with the book!