Saturday, July 9, 2016

Bunnicula

Author: Deborah & James Howe
Stars: 5
Review by: Mandy Apgar


Today (July 5th) is the "gotcha" day of our cat Chester, whom was named after a central character in this book by his foster family. And he is very much like his namesake in a few ways. But the tale unfolds when the Munroe family returns from the movies with a large box - at a late night screening of the 1931 Dracula they happened upon a small black and white male rabbit. The bunny is christened "Bunnicula" and joins the family dog Harold (who, being part Russian wolfhound, can tell the scribbled note left on the rabbit to 'take care of my baby' was written in an "obscure Carpathian dialect") and Chester. Ah, Chester. A demented tabby cat who sees conspiracies and paranoia everywhere, Chester concludes that (after a mysterious white zucchini is found drained of juice) that Bunnicula is a vampire rabbit. Leaving his pen at night, he joins whatever unholy crusade vampire bunnies do (for there MUST be one) and drains the family vegetables of their juices. And of course, as things turn out here and in subsequent books, he is actually right. But after he takes some instructions too literally and tries to hit the bunny with a meaty steak instead of the sharpened wooden kind, the Munroes think he is out of his wits. Eventually Chester finds a cat psychiatrist, Harold is left dreaming of chocolate cupcakes, and little Bunnicula is placed on a liquid diet. Veterinarian's orders!

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