Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery - Hardcover

Howe, Deborah; Howe, James

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0689307004 ISBN 13: 9780689307003

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 1979

Synopsis

THIS book is written by Harold. His full time occupation is dog. He lives with Mr. and Mrs. X (here called Monroe) and their sons Toby and Pete. Also sharing the home are a cat named Chester and a rabbit named Bunnicula. It is because of Bunnicula that Harold turned to writing. Someone had to tell the full story of what happened in the Monroe household after the rabbit arrived.
It all began when the Monroes went to see the movie Dracula At the theater Toby found something on his seatÑa baby rabbit that he took home and named Bunnicula. It proved to be an apt name, at least as far as Chester was concerned. A well-read and observant cat, he soon decided that there was something odd about the newcomer. For one thing he seemed to have fangs. And the odd markings on his back looked a little like a cape. Furthermore, Bunnicula slept from sunup to sundown. He was awake only at night.
When the family started funding white vegetables, drained dry, with two fang marks in them, Chester was sure Bunnicula was a vampire. But what to do about it. None of the family seemed to grasp the trouble, and Chester's hilarious hints were totally misunderstood.
Was Bunnicula really a vampire? Only Bunnicula knows for sure. But the story of Chester's suspicions and their consequences makes uproarious reading.

About this title

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)

From the Inside Flap:

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 newest pet in the Monroe household--a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits...and fangs!

About this edition

• Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers
• Publication date: 1979
• ISBN 10: 0689307004
• ISBN 13: 9780689307003
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 112
• Illustrator: Daniel Alan