Vunce Upon a Time

Vunce Upon A Time is all sorts of adorable. This unique picture book pairs Siobhan Vivian's brilliant illustrations with a story from one of my favorite authors, J. Otto Seibold. If you haven't had a chance to dive into any of Siebold's other stories I'll give you a quick sum up. They are always quirky, always adorable, and always something you won't find anywhere else. That's why I was so excited to meet Dagmar!

Dagmar's story is short and sweet. He's a vampire who just so happens to be a vegetarian! However, despite his love of leafy greens, his all time favorite snack is none other than candy. Happily, Halloween just so happens to be the perfect time to get tons of free candy! This story follows Dagmar as he tries to figure out how to show more make his Halloween night a big success, without running into any scary humans. What is one little vampire to do?

Reading a book to kindergartners is always a worry for me. It has to hold their attention really well or they'll be antsy within minutes. Dagmar didn't disappoint! They fell in love with his silly story, and were extremely amused that he was afraid of humans. We had a great discussion about what being a vegetarian means, and even tied it in to learning about different types of vegetables. I would have liked to see a little more mention of that topic in the story, but it was just as adorable as is. After all, Halloween is all about the candy.

The illustrations are really what brought the story to life. Vivian's illustrations pop off the page and brought forth quite a few giggle sessions from the kids. The pages where Dagmar was debating on a costume had them howling with laughter! If I had to sum this book up in three words: fun, unique and cute. Never before have I met a vegetarian vampire, but Dagmar is definitely my kind of storybook character! I look forward to more of his adventures and I know that my kids do too! show less

Dagmar is a very shy, little vampire. He's afraid of humans, and he's even a vegetarian! While he likes eating veggies, he loves candy even more. Unfortunately, his vegetable garden is slow to grow, and his secret stash of candy is almost out. What's a hungry, vegetarian vampire to do? Go trick-or-treating, of course. There's just one problem (or maybe two), Dagmar doesn't have a costume, and he's really, really afraid of people. Will he find the courage he needs to to out on Halloween to replenish his stash of candy before he runs out? Check out this popular picture book to find out.

The Bottom Line: Seibold's vivid, digitally created illustrations are a real treat in this humorous, yet charming, Halloween book about friendship and show more courage. A spooktacular read for kids ages 3 - 8 and highly recommended for storytimes.

This review also appears at the Mini Book Bytes Book Review Blog. show less

Dagmar, a vegetarian vampire, loves candy so much that he decides to leave his castle on Halloween to trick-or-treat, even though he's afriad of humans.

This is a cute Halloween tale, but it probably wouldn't be the best for storytimes. The illustrations are kind of dark and too detaily for proper appreciation in that setting. Best for a lapsit storytime, I suppose. The art is in the familiar "Seiboldian" style - quirky and with some psychedlic color choices.

I liked the cute play on words in the title, which is why I picked it up, but it wasn't anything terribly special - just an average Halloween tale!

this is a great book to read to children around halloween time. its about a vampire who loves vegetables and candy instead of the usual vampire diet of blood. he is very shy and timid but overcomes his fear when he has to venture out into the human worl to retrieve his beloved candy. this can be used in a lesson about over coming ones fears or about good nutrition.

Cute children's story about a vegetarian vampire who discovers the magic of Halloween.

Reviews/Awards Source Date
School Library Journal 1/1/2009
Booklist 11/15/2008
Publisher's Weekly 9/8/2008