Hello, I'm Richard Nimz, prospector of the written word and literary explorer extraordinaire. There's another classic book as the topic of this post, although I'd never even heard of it before the reading list was posted. It appears to be well-loved, though, given that it not only made the National Education Association's Teachers' Top 100 Books for children list, but was also adapted into a play. Ladies and gentleman, this is Deborah and James Howe's Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery!
Citation: Howe, Deborah and James (1979). Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery. New York: Atheneum Books for Young Readers.
Summary: Harold the dog and Chester the cat are pets of a family that shall be hereafter called the Monroes. The family came back from a Dracula movie with a baby rabbit that they name 'Bunnicula'. As the days go by, the two pets find that the name is more fitting than their owners could've guessed. Vegetables show up drained of juices and completely white. The bunny itself has an interesting fur pattern that looks like a cape and in place of its big front teeth are two fangs. Today, it feeds on vegetables. Tomorrow, however, could be blood...
My impressions: I wish I liked this book more. There are several moments that I found pretty funny mixed in with moments that I find silly. (The cat confusing a S-T-E-A-K with a S-T-A-K-E? Not funny to me. The cat trying to drive a piece of meat through the bunny's heart. Funny.) However, it's surprisingly imaginative, and the most memorable good part of the book is in something that I can't tell you without spoiling the book.
Uses: The book really does feature an imaginative bit of thinking, and I would love to honor that at the library. I would love to use it as an example of imaginative thinking regarding horror tropes.
Just let me say it as S. K. List said it: "Thousands of young readers have given this book their approval, and they're sure to be joined by thousands more -- with good reason...One typical older fan remembers the book vividly: "It's funny, creative, and just silly enough not to be stupid. The animals are well characterized, too, in the way they talk. It's a great book.""
Sources:
List, S. K. (n.d.) Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery - Book Review. Common Sense Media. Retrieved from http://www.commonsensemedia.org/book-reviews/bunnicula-a-rabbit-tale-of-mystery
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