Children's Classics Carnival--Bunnicula

I'm late. Late in the day for this Children's Classic Carnival. But I'm going to make it.... it is only 8:05 PDT, so I have a few more hours of Tuesday.

One of my very favorite children's classics (at least I think it's a classic) is Bunnicula by James Howe.
While technically not a book "about" a dog, it is a book about a rabbit, "written" by a dog. Harold.
Harold the dog, Chester the cat, Howie the puppy and Bunnicula the vampire bunny, live in the Monroe Household, with Mr. and Mrs. Monroe and their two sons, Peter and Toby.

While this is not a "coming of age" book about a boy and his dog, it is a funny, lighthearted spoof of "scary" books.

The Monroe family finds a little bunny rabbit at a movie theater , during a showing of Dracula, so in keeping with the theme, name the bunny "bunnicula".
Harold, the dog, likes the new member of the family and feels sorry for the rabbit, especially when Chester the cat begins to see Bunnicula as a real "vampire" bunny, who sucks the life out of the veggies in the vegetable garden.
Many antics take place as the animals of the Monore household are involved in this mystery.
It's cute and a bit slap-stickish, with enough "scary" thrown in to amuse even the most hardcore young reader.
It's just cute. A fun read. And everyone needs a light, fun read once in a while.

There are 4 sequels to Bunnicula, and the whole series is good and worth a try, if you ask me.
At the beginning of each book, there is an Editor's note (part of the novel) which includes a letter from Harold the dog, to set the scene. I also love Harold's point of view of the Monroe family. It's funny to see things thru a dog's eye (just read the adult books "The Art of Racing in the Rain", or "Dog on it" for other great dog points of view).
Bunnicula is a good choice for a family read. I liked it. My boys liked it, and my grandson likes it.

Children's Classic picture books

ooohh.... I think I'm old.
My favorite pictures books are....much older than the other posts I've read. I've kept up on Children's books tho, so I know all the books/illustrators that were mentioned, and enjoyed each of those books too.
but I LOVE..Love....LOVE the illustrations of Robert McCloskey. I don't know why. there is something so, simple but yet not in his illustrations. Maybe that simpler life. But they are so, so detailed. I think I like the illustrators that add those little, small, teeny detail that could pass you by... kind of Like Norman Rockwell, but he isn't a children's book illustrator. But the detail...like a gum wrapper on the floor. I love that kind of detail in a children's book. And I guess I love the older books better.

Blueberries for Sal


Make Way for Ducklings


My husbands favorite was "The Biggest Bear" by Lynn Ward.


I own all these books...so that I can share them with my grandchildren, (who are babies!! Babies... we are not really THAT OLD.)
When I was younger, working in a school library, (the last of my children had just entered elementary school ) I came across this book "Rain" by Peter Speir. I LOVE that book. It's a wordless picture book, about an rainy afternoon, and what the children do to pass the time. But the pictures were mirror images of MY LIFE! What my children did, what my children ate, what my children watched. It was "my life". And I love that book. The illustrations, down to the last minute detail are amazing. (sigh)


I could go on and on and on... even the Dr. Seuss illustrations are kind of cool. In a wacky kind of way. He had a lot of detail... wacky detail, but detail just the same.

oops....My Father's Dragon

I was so busy yesterday that I forgot to blog about my favorite "Classic" children's book.

Okay... I cannot tell a lie. I forgot. It wasn't because I was "too" busy. I just plain forgot.
I was busy at work.... but when I went home, my grandson was there and we had a nice relaxing enjoyable few hours before he went back home. I made his favorite meal: chicken nuggets and fries. Yum.
(I'm his grandmother, so I don't have to do healthy food choices all the time do I? )

Anyway, after we ate dinner on the patio and he watered my plants and squirted the dog (he is 6) he got interested in an old Royal Typewriter of my dad's that I have.
So, while he was busy putting in paper and typing, I began to read to him.
(this isn't something new)
We were in the middle of "My Father's Dragon" by Ruth Stiles Gannett.

THERE YOU HAVE IT! My children's classic. It will be "My Father's Dragon"

At first, because my grandson was very interested in the typewriter, he said, "You don't have to read to me grandma."
But I said I wanted to, and I began where we had left off. I finished one chapter and thought we would be done, but he turned to me, by this time he had actually stopped typing, and said..."Gramma, you can read more if you want to."

Which tells me a few things:
It's a great Read-A-Loud. It really is. Camron, my grandson, is always drawn into it, as I knew he would be last night.
It's a Newberry Honor book, it's short enough for children with short attention spans. It keeps their attention.
(or maybe it's just my grand read-aloud voice. LOL ).

To give a quick review of the book, it was published in 1945, I believe, it is a quick imaginative story about Elmer Elevator, a boy who runs away to Wild Island to rescue a baby dragon. It is narrated by Elmer's son, many years later.
It is an adventure story in the most simple terms.
And who can resist a good adventure story?
Certainly not my 6 year old grandson!
It's also a fantasy, with each chapter, revealing personality traits of different characters, all who happen to be animals.
Elmer must use his wits and his "McGyver" type of resourcefulness to outwit the animals on the Island to get to the dragon.

I say it's a Classic!!
Anything that can get my grandson to stop fiddling and curl up next to me and tell me I can keep reading.... THAT is a classic.

so....that's my excuse for not particiapting yesterday.
sorry... but I was off finding a dragon......

PS yes, I would recommend it to anyone. It really is a great little book.