At a screening of Dracula, one of the Monroe boys discovers a bunny on his seat. Of course, the family decides to take the rabbit home. Not long after his arrival, vegetables begin turning white. While the Monroes have no idea why this is occurring, the family pets, Chester and Harold, know exactly what’s up. They have a vampire bunny on their hands. While Harold, the dog, is largely tolerant of this, Chester the cat comes up with plan after plan to best the vampire. Luckily for all involved, Chester is stopped before any real harm is done.
The first book in the series, this features Bunnicula much less than I’d hoped. Harold the dog is the narrator and the poor rabbit has but a small part. It’s a cute story that will definitely appeal to third grade readers. There are some tricky vocabulary words (listed below) but ultimately the book should be fine for third grade readers, and could be enjoyed as a read-aloud by younger students. It’s also an interesting choice now with vampires being so much the fashion. It’s a completely non-scary way to let littler ones feel like they’re on-trend.
If you happen across a 25th anniversary edition, do read the “Few Words” at the front. It mentions how much Howe had no clue what he was doing when he started all this and of course, the tragic death of his wife Deborah before Bunnicula was ever published. This beginning is definitely for the grown-ups though, not for the kiddies. The Editor’s Note however, is exactly where most people should start.
Vocabulary: admonition, digress, hysteria, traumatized, emanated, petrified,
Sex, Nudity, Dating – In learning about vampires, Harold mentions that he once saw Mrs. Monroe bite Mr. Monroe on the neck.
Profanity – “dumb,” “darn,” “drat,” “Holy cow,” “dolt,”
Death, Violence and Gore – One of the brothers punches the other. Harold considers biting someone’s ankle. Harold puts his paws around Chester’s neck and threatens to squeeze him until he pops. We learn that vampires bite people on the neck. Chester bites Harold on the neck for demonstration purposes. Chester bites Harold’s ear to get his attention. Chester wants to kill the bunny by pounding a stake into his heart. (Luckily they attempt this using a steak).
Drugs, Alcohol and Smoking – One of the boys asks Mr. Monroe if he left his brandy glass out because the cat is acting weird.
Frightening or Intense Things – None.
I’ve never been a teacher, only a reader (and a parent). I know I never minded big words in my books, and neither did my kids (6th and 8th grade now). I rarely looked anything up, but just got the sense from the book.
Did kids really complain about words like digress? It’s possible that I just come from a family of nerds.
Beth – In my experience, you’re right! Kids don’t complain about the vocabulary if they don’t understand it. However, it does mean that some students (not all of them mind you) end up with really low reading comprehension when you talk to them about the book. If I didn’t know the reading level of Bunnicula (Scholastic has it as a Q, which is sort of a middle-to-end of third grade level) and I glanced at it casually, the font size, overall length, interspersed illustrations and much of the text would have me assuming it would be accessible to students on a lower reading level than it actually is. As you’ve noticed, I don’t always put vocabulary lists in with my reviews. I tend to save it for when the vocabulary seems markedly higher than what I would guess was the case from the rest of the story. So it’s just a heads up that the book might be harder than you think. It also can help teachers (or parents) who want to add a little vocabulary practice to their child’s reading experience.
But I agree with you, the children themselves are unlikely to complain. I know I never did either! And of course, strong readers will either pick it up from context or actually go for a dictionary.
That makes sense. I have a niece who isn’t a book-a-holic, and I do try to not recommend things that she’d be intimidated by. I want her to keep trusting me! So I would be careful of handing her a book with a challenging vocabulary, whereas with the strong readers I don’t even think about it.
Sadly, our entire family proves that strong reading can coexist with awful spelling.