Bunnicula (1979)

Harold the dog and Chester the cat have very pleasant and normal lives until a new addition is brought home - a cute little black and white bunny that comes to be named Bunnicula. Immediately after the rabbit's arrival, strange things start happening in the house at night. Chester takes it upon himself to put a stop to the mysterious activities, and Harold recounts the tale from his doggy perspective. In the end, everybody lives happily ever after...almost. ( )

I recently read of the premise of the Bunnicula books by James Howe (with his late wife, Deborah, on the first one in the series, which is here reviewed) on a web site, and decided to read the first one. Sometimes, after reading larger tomes with more mature content in terms of philosophy, religion, fantasy, and the like, a small “little kid” read is actually just what I need. This first one, Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery was a fun book with a very interesting premise.

One day, a family (called the Monroes to “protect their privacy”) come home to their dog Harold and cat Chester with a curious bundle. This turns out to be a rabbit, a strange one at that. Chester discovers from observation of the bunny's habits and careful research (he's a voracious reader, you know) that this rabbit is, in fact, a vampire rabbit. He is lead to this conclusion by the discovery of dried out, white pieces of vegetables strewn in the house. Even though it appears the bunny, named “Bunnicula” by the family (in no relation to his vampiric nature, as they think he's an ordinary rabbit) as they found him at a Dracula film, only “drains” veggies, Chester is afraid this is only the beginning of a plot to kill the family. He simply must stop this burgeoning evil. Obviously, Chester is wrong, but his misguided attempts to save the family are hilarious, and so the fun begins.

This was a nice, brief read. What really impressed me was that the authors did not hesitate to use ordinary words. They didn't change the vocabulary they used to cater to younger readers, but used normal words. This is undeniably a book for younger readers, but it is also a book that can easily be enjoyed by readers of any age.

A great read for younger readers, and a fun quick read for older readers in between deeper tomes. ( )

poor cat =( ( )

Yeah! Bunnicula! ( )

Old Children's Book. Liked it as a kid, but haven't read it in years. ( )