Book Review

Bunnicula, A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery, Deborah and James Howe

A children's book from 1979, it was right in my wheelhouse, yet somehow I'd never heard of it. I put it on my list of things to check out one day and then it was fortuitously gifted to me earlier this year. It's the first of a series that follows a human family from the first person pov of the family's dog named, Harold. Some children's books have the complexities that you can reexamine into adulthood like the Narnia series, and others just make for wonderfully light reading with a sophistication that adults can appreciate. This is one of the latter and it's adorable and generally funny in ways that smaller kids won't pick up on at first such as sarcasm and the duality of the the pets both having personalities and also still being just a cat and a dog with natural instincts and reactions to the activity.
The family brings home a new pet bunny after attending a Dracula movie, and Harold observes as the other main character, Chester the cat, works out the mystery of this rabbit. Chester is also the antagonist as he becomes obsessed with proving that Bunnicula is a vampire and a danger to everyone, even though the only threat the unusual rabbit poses is to the vegetables in the fridge. He does traumatize the little thing in his pursuit, but he's constantly foiled by the absurdity of how his behavior is perceived by the family who see him as acting out and jealous of the new pet. Harold helps Chester at first but ultimately rescues Bunnicula from Chester's irrational scheme. And the problem of the rabbit being a veggie-vampire works itself out in the end thanks to the family's response to Chester's interference.
It's not perfect story crafting. The animals are limited to their animal nature except when the refrigerator needs to be opened or a book needs to be retrieved and read. But rules like that are rightfully relaxed when making a story for young kids. It's imaginative and creative fun for fun's sake, and that's the real takeaway. My copy has the first chapter for the second book at the end, and it looks like it'll be the continuing adventures of Harold and Chester. I liked it. It's a clever, quick read, and a nice change of pace.