Bunnicula: 40th Anniversary Edition (Bunnicula and Friends)

Who can resist a vampiric bunny? This is a fine read for the whole family, about the baby rabbit discovered one night at a vampire movie, who enters the family home and sucks the life out of the refridgerator's vegetables. Only the family dog recognizes Bunnicula's true nature. An excellent choice

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for reluctant readers, as it's humor, brevity, and atypical protagonists are all attractive.

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Rereading this, I was kind of surprised that it took me no time at all to get through. I remember reading it when I was little, and it felt like the biggest mystery ever. I used to get scared when Chester broke out the garlic, and Harold's infatuation with chocolate cupcakes mirrored my own. In

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fact, in my old tattered copy, I underlined every mention of chocolate cupcakes, cheese crackers, and sourball candies in bright pink marker. Apparently, I've always loved food in books.

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A book from my childhood that I was required to read again for Battle of the Books. About a dog, cat and a "vampire" rabbit, I liked this book as a kid, but this time around I found it extremely stupid.

Harold’s tranquil evening is disrupted when the Monroe’s come rushing back from the movies carrying a bundle, and carrying on like nervous nellies in a hen house—people! You see, Harold is a dog, and thank goodness for that. Upon entering the movie house, Toby sat on something that turned out

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to be a black and white bunny in a box. Of course, the Monroes bring the bunny home and name it Bunnicula after the Dracula movie they went to see. Chester the cat is suspicious (he should talk, he’s down in the basement screaming and calls it “finding himself”), and when they find a tomato drained of its red color, Harold is convinced that Bunnicula will strike his family next. For all of us who let our imagination run wild (after scary movies I cannot go downstairs without an escort), a step back and a laugh at all their antics is a refreshing antidote for the shivers.
If You Liked This, Try: Bunnicula Strikes Again by James Howe, The Celery Stalks at Midnight by James Howe, Bunnicula-in-a-Box: Bunnicula: Howliday Inn by James Howe, Return to Howliday Inn by James Howe, Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing by Judy Blume.

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If you like freaky chills and funny thoughts, then this is the book for you.

Bunnicula features a dog, cat, and a rabbit. When the owners bring the rabbit home from the movies, the cat (Chester) thinks he's a vampire and possested. Mysteriously all the vegetables in the house are turning white and no one can figure it out. The cat starts staying up a night reading books

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over vampires and seeing what the rabbit does. The story is told by the dog and he explains how the story goes. This story is also a humerous book, but there are parts that get a little scary for a young child. I learned in this book that the cover of a chapter book does not always determine what is going to happen. I chose this book because I love animals and love reading stories about them. In the classroom, I could like to read this story to children who also love animals. As a adult I loved this story and so this might get the students involved in reading a little more. In the classroom I could do an activity over this story and have the students write a story where the animals talk to each other. Children who love animals would love listening to this story and writing a story themselves.

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While reading this I was thinking about how this is really one of those perfect storm books. It has appeal for everyone. There is a slightly element of mystery/horror, humor, adventure, and cute fuzzy animals. Good work!

Growing up, this was one of several novels adapted for television in ABC's "Weekend Special." (For those of you who aren't old enough to recall, this was a half-hour anthology series that adapted popular young adult novels for television in the hopes of getting kids interested in reading. Think

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"Reading Rainbow" for the tween set.)

If you've seen the special (look for it on YouTube for a trip down memory lane), you know the special borrowed the basic concept of the story but added some other bits in an attempt to make it more "exciting" for the television viewing audience, including having Bunnicula's eyes glow when he was in full vampire mode and giving him the ability to fly. Whether or not this is a good thing, I'm not sure, though I can see why the writers or execs felt the need to punch up the story a bit.

Re-reading this now, years later (or more accurately, listening to the superbly read audio adapation of this story), I was struck again by how great, fascinating and intriguing the premise is for the first three quarters of the story, only to be let down by a hasty ending and an almost too neat resolution to the whole thing.

One night at the movies, the Monroe family find a mysterious cardboard box with a rabbit inside. The family brings the rabbit home and decide to adopt him, naming him Bunnicula since Dracula was playing when they found him. The family's other pets, Harold the dog (the narrator for this story) and Chester the cat, welcome the new addition to the family.

Then, mysterious things begin to happen. Vegetables begin to show up, drained and wait. Bunnicula sleeps all day and is only heard to be moving about at night. All of this sets off Chester's suspicions that the rabbit is actually some kind of vampire bunny. Chester takes it upon himself to rid the family of the rabbit before Bunnicula moves on from vegetables.

So far, so good, right?

However, it's in the final chapter or two that things begin to fall apart. Once Chester is caught trying to destroy Bunnicula by the family, things rapidly spiral toward a conclusion. The sense of mystery built up in the early chapters fizzles and the story gives us a rapidly constructed conclusion. I recall being disappointed by it when I read it the first time many years ago and being just as disappointed with it upon reading now

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Loved this children's chapter book when I was wee, and it holds up to adult reading. Howard (the dog) tells the story of the new addition to the Monroe family, a wee bunny who Chester the cat thinks is a (vegetable-juice-sucking) vampire. Compelling voice from Howard coupled with humorous antics

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from Chester (and the nifty premise) are what make this a stand-out. The illustrations are fun, too.

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Talking dogs, reading cats, and one mysterious vampire bunny! Meet the Monroe family as they adopt a new pet into their lives.

I think I may have read this as a child as it was familiar but I picked it up this time to read it when my daughter read it for AR points at school. It is a cute story with just enough mystery and spookiness to keep a child reading along. Harold the dog and Chester the cat are at home when their

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family arrives back at the house with a small rabbit they'd found at the Dracula movie they went to see. Christening him Bunnicula, the family decides to keep our bunny and that is when things around the house start getting a bit strange. Chester the cat becomes convinced that the new bunny is in fact a vampire rabbit and goes to great lengths to try and convince the more skeptical Harold. But when vegetables in the family's refrigerator start turning up limp and white and drained of their juices speculation turns to a certainty of sorts.

What Chester and Harold do about this strange new member of the family and how they each react to the mysterious little bunny forms the bulk of this short children's chapter book. While the book is a children's book, it does a good job of being engaging enough to not have any adult readers (or perhaps it would be better to say adults reading aloud to children) avoiding the nightly reading. Harold is a loveable doofus while Chester is a more intelligent character and their interactions (Bunnicula never speaks) drive the story along. This really is a great book for the middle grades, never being too scary but having a slight element of suspense that should keep the most jaded 8-10 year old reading along.

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This story is told from the perspective of the family dog and is about the new family pet, Bunnicula. The dog and Chester, the cat, must solve a mysterious issue with vegetables that is somehow connected with the new and somewhat creepy new bunny.

I love this book -- it's truly funny and hugely enjoyable.

Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery was written by James and Debra Howe about a vampire rabbit that comes to live with a family. When we read and love books as children, I suppose it's only natural for us to want to pass along that love to a new generation, so when I realized that my godson was

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coming upon the age and reading ability where Bunnicula might suit, I immediately bought it for him. It was only after the purchase that a friend asked, "So wait... he's a vampire rabbit? But he only drains vegetables? Where's the danger?"

It took a moment to admit that I couldn't exactly remember, and so I re-read Bunnicula to find that no matter what Chester the cat might suggest, there isn't really any danger (well, at least from Bunnicula), but the book remains delightful.

Bunnicula is written from the perspective of Harold, the Monroe family dog, but in his manuscript, he maintains that he has changed the names of the innocent for their protection. Harold has a peaceable companion in Chester, the family cat, named after G.K. Chesterton. (Which must have triggered some subconscious memory, given that I just read a book by G.K. Chesterton, but I'm not sure which book led to the other.) Chester reads quite a lot and when the family brings home a new pet after finding him at the movie theater (a showing of Dracula), Chester suspects that Bunnicula is more than he appears. He sleeps all day and the markings on his fur form a curious widow's peak that gives him the look of wearing a cape. And Chester could swear that he saw two pointy fangs on the bunny by the light of the moon. Chester becomes obsessed with watching Bunnicula and discovers white vegetables in the house, which he believes Bunnicula has drained.

Having now read this as an adult, I actually found Bunnicula to be relatively simple in terms of plotline, but rather packed with some more complicated ideas if one chooses to think about them. For instance, Chester is convinced that Bunnicula's eating habits somehow endanger them all -- a very "today vegetables, tomorrow the world" kind of approach. Harold, on the other hand, is rather torn between supporting his friend Chester and simply leaving Bunnicula be, as he sees no harm in it -- aside from a rather startled family when they believe themselves subjected to some kind of vegetable blight after finding the white veggies. This manages to provide a rather fantastic set-up for teaching children about trusting their own opinions, not simply going along with the crowd, respecting others despite things that make them unique/different, and so forth. Chester appears to be a much less enjoyable character now that I'm older and the simple fact of him being a kitty counts for less than it did when I was eight. I mean, one could argue that Chester is instigating hate crimes (thank goodness that for all his literacy, he doesn't know the difference between a steak and a stake). His antics with spreading garlic everywhere are amusing (particularly in the time-honored tradition of humans being completely oblivious to anything in the animal world when your characters are animals), and there's a nice little jab at the concept of therapy being able to help him at the end of the book, but I found Chester to be much less of a funny kitty this time around. Our trustworthy narrator, Harold, does not let his fondness for chocolate cupcakes (though really, one shouldn't given chocolate to dogs) distract him from helping a potential new friend.

So if you're looking for a good (not too scary) Halloween book for that 8-12 year-old, then your search should be at an end. Of course, if memory serves, some more threatening things (like a potential zombie/vampire vegetable army?) seem to loom in the series. And speaking of series, I think I might have stopped after book number four, but the entire series for young readers (aka not counting spin-off books and for even younger readers) includes Howliday Inn, The Celery Stalks at Midnight, Nighty Nightmare, Return to Howliday Inn, Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow, and Bunnicula Strikes again.

Whenever I re-read books like this, I inevitably research them online and come up with some interesting facts. Evidently, James and Deborah Howe wrote Bunnicula together, but Deborah Howe died of cancer at the age of 31, before Bunnicula's publication. It seems that Deborah Howe was already an established children's author, having published a number of works and won several awards in her short life, and it was this first foray into children's literature that inspired James Howe. He continued writing the Bunnicula series, in addition to other books, after remarrying, fathering a daughter, eventually divorcing, and coming out of the closet. While Bunnicula Strikes Again appears to be the last in that series, he continues to write today.

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I've been trying to read some of the same books that my 7 year old is reading, so I recently pulled this one off her shelf. I know that I read it when I was in elementary school, but couldn't remember much about it other than I had liked it.

The amazing thing is, that even though the book was

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originally published nearly 30 years ago, and I've grown up, gotten married, and started a family, I still really like this book. If my daughter likes this when she reads it, I'll have no problem shelling out the money to buy the rest of the series because I know that they will get read again and again by me, my daughter, and my 2yr old when she gets a little older.

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This book has to be, one of the best book i have read in a longe time!! its both funny, creepy and msterys. the reading age has to be around 10-14. The main charicter are both hiscarical and clever, wich make this cute vampire bunny tale the edge it needs.
my vote has be 8/10. For both saspence and

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clever story lines.

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I was feeling frazzled and tired one day and decided to read something totally undemanding and short --- BUNNICULA. A RABBIT TALE OF MYSTERY by Deborah and James Howe. This little book is so silly and so clever, it is just delightful. The story is about a dog and a cat who have to get used to a new

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family pet, a bunny. The book is narrated by the dog and everything that happens is seen through his eyes. If you can imagine your dog or cat thinking like these two, what they do can actually make sense. I laughed my way through this in somewhere around an hour, and i felt much better than I had before.. It was an excellent tonic for me. I would suggest it as a great, little, escape and also it should be very entertaining for young readers. Several other books are sequential to it, so the fun can go on and on.

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a good mystery book for readers

Started reading on 09/06/11 with the girl as her bedtime book. So far, she loves it! My mom read it to me when I was in elementary school.

***Finished on 09/14 - now on to The Howliday Inn!***

Our story opens on a dark and stormy night as the Monroes (names changed to protect the innocent) return from a showing of Dracula with a small bundle that is revealed to be a bunny. Soon Chester the cat is convinced that the newly named Bunnicula isn’t just any bunny – but something far more

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sinister. The black markings that look like a cape? The vegetables that turn white with no explanation? The teeny tiny fangs where a rabbit’s buck teeth should be? Could Bunnicula actually be a vampire rabbit? It’s up to Harold, the canine writer and narrator of our story, to determine what’s truth and what’s the result of Chester’s possibly overactive imagination. Only two questions remain: Will Harold find the answers in time and will readers ever be able to stop laughing?

I adored this whole series of books as a child. We used this for our "spooky" October read in the 3rd-5th grade book club I run. I had kids who usually barely talk who were very animated about this book. Apparently humor is the answer for this group. I did have one kid return the book though because he expected it to be scary rather than funny.

Used for October 2009 Cover2Cover Youth Book Club.

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I thoroughly loved this book as a child. Bunnicula was my dream pet! This story is very well-written, well-suited to its intended demographic, and flat-out adorable.

When the Monroes bring home a rabbit they found in an unlikely place, the dog, Harold, and the cat, Chester, begin to notice some odd things. Bunnicula looks as though he is wearing a cape; he seems to have fangs instead of a rabbit's usual buckteeth; the vegetables in the house have gone white.

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Chester can only come to one conclusion: he is a vampire rabbit. As Chester tries to keep the family's vegetables safe Harold tries to make sure Bunnicula isn't harmed.

This is a different type of mystery -- it's not "solved" at the end and there is enough for either point of view for readers to argue if they think he really is a vampire or not. Young readers will love the animal voices: Harold is a stitch and Chester is crazy!

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I really liked this chapter book, it was very funny, easy to follow along with and had a great plot. I liked how the book introduces new vocabulary gently and leads children to more complex books. There is a wide interest level for this book; the characters are well developed with a creative story

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line. There is a slight horror aspect to the books but it is only mild and I think it would interest students more than it would scare them. This book will have the reader hooked!

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Howe, D., & Howe, J. (1979). Bunnicula: A rabbit-tale of mystery. New York: Aladdin Paperbacks.

1416928170

98 Pages.

Appetizer: Howard the dog and Chester the cat are surprised when their family brings home an unexpected creature from the Dracula movie they had attended: A rabbit. The family quickly

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names their new member Bunnicula, and as the humans--eight-year-old Toby and ten-year-old Pete among them, favor the rabbit, Chester begins to suspect there's more to the small bunny than anyone imagines. Chester sets about convincing Harold that Bunnicula, who sleeps through the day and escapes his cage at night to suck the juice from vegetables, may be a VAMPIRE!!!!!!!!

So, months and months and months ago, my friend Catherine said, "You should review Bunnicula."
And I was all. "Good idea! I will do that!"

And the months passed.

The only reason I got off my bum-bum to review Bunnicula now is because my students chose to read it as their final group read for the quarter.

Let me tell you, it was strange picking this book up. I remembered that I absolutely loved it when I read it in the fourth or fifth grade. And I remembered the general idea of a bunny joining the Monroe family and Chester the cat working tirelessly to prove Bunnicula was a vampire bunny.

But when I picked the book up as an adult, I was surprised by the voice of Harold, the family dog and narrator. He's so....academic?...high-brow?...Smart? Chester as well. It surprised me and entertained me. In this book, it's the humans who are the slow ones.

And Bunnicula? He's silent. I mean, really? Why doesn't that bunny speak?
I once took a folklore class in which the teacher shared a tale about a woman who did not speak and so the objects and people around her starting creating stories about her. That's very much what happens to Bunnicula.

Bunnicula creates a lot of excellent humorous images. I particularly like when Chester attempts to "steak" Bunnicula by using his paws to pound a slab of meat against the sleeping bunny. But the best part is, with all the humor, I have yet to meet a child who thinks this book is scary. Is there anyone out there who will admit to at some point finding the thought of a vampy bunny scary?

Since the book is referenced, a teacher could also try to create some interest in Treasure Island. Another direction would be to introduce the students to the rest of the Bunnicula series or other vampire stories.

Dinner Conversation:

"I shall never forget the first time I laid these now tired old eyes on our visitor. I had been left home by the family with the admonition to take care of the house until they returned. That's something they always say to me when they go out: "Take care of the house, Harold. You're the watchdog." I think it's their way of making up for not taking me with them" (p. 3).

"I joined the family and serious thinking began. We all peered into the box. It was the first time I had really seen him. So, this is a rabbit, I thought. He sort of looks like Chester, only he's got longer ears and a shorter tail. And a motor in his nose" (p. 14).

"Let's not have any more arguments. We'll compromise. He's a bunny and we found him at a Dracula movie, so we'll call him Bunny-cula. Bunnicula! That should make everybody happy, including me" (p. 15).

"There in the moonlight, as the music filtered through the air, sat the bunny, his eyes intense and staring, an unearthly aura about them.
"Now this is the part you won't believe," Chester said to me, "but as I watched, his lips parted in a hideous smile, and where a rabbit's buck teeth should have been, two little pointed fangs glistened" (p. 23).

"Now tell me, Harold, have you noticed anything funny about that rabbit?"
"No," I said, "but I've certainly noticed a lot of funny things about you recently."
"Think about it. That rabbit sleeps all day."
"So do I. So do you."
"Furthermore, he's got funny little sharp teeth."
"So do I. So do you."
"Furthermore, he gets in and out of his cage by himself. What kind of rabbit can do that?"
"A smart one," I said" (p.45).

To Go with the Meal:

At heart this is a story about sibling rivalry (and vampire bunnies! AND remembering to eat your veggies!). A teacher could use this book to discuss the animosities that can emerge when new children are introduced to a class, a group of friends or a family. Topics under this heading would include not to jump to conclusions, keeping in mind that although a new sibling often gets an unfair amount of attention, that doesn't mean the parents love the rest of the children any less, etc.

Having said that though, this book is probably best as a fun read.

But if a teacher is desperate for activities to go with the book, he or she could discuss (age appropriate) folklore about vampires, the behaviors of various types of pets and how to care for them. A creative route would be to have students imagine the conversations their own pets or favorite animal might have.

Tasty Rating: !!!!

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