Bunnicula is full of homonyms which inspired this post.
*Editor’s note: Wise Owl Factory presents a post by I. Reid today. I. Reid will not be posting often, but when she does, it will be one of the most interesting posts in the world.
Dear Reader,
As I write, the wind rattles through bare branches and white rims the morning grass. Frosty mornings and warm days can mean only one thing. Halloween is on its way.
Halloween brings along things such as questionable costumes and an overload of sugar, but it can also bring along more wholesome entertainment. One such paragon is Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery by Debra and James Howe.
Bunnicula is as its name suggests a rather clever mystery that pokes fun at the classic Dracula (which is not child appropriate). Narrated by Harold, the family dog, he seeks to unravel the cipher that is Bunnicula. Is the little rabbit a vampire rabbit, the most menacing threat to vegetables to ever walk the face of this earth, or is the poor creature merely unusual and persecuted for being different?
Children will be so entertained by the light hearted yet serious tone and the antics of the main characters they won’t realize that they are learning a few important lessons.
The reader must use skills of deduction to determine the cause of several mysteries. Why are the vegetables turning white? What could cause two little holes to be found in each white vegetable? Is it indeed a strange vegetable blight or is it something more sinister?
Next, homonyms play a pivotal role in the story. It would be unkind of me, Dear Reader, to reveal too much but let me delicately state when one of the characters determines to deal decisively with the perceived threat facing the Monroes, a misteak is made. I mean mistake, please forgive a slip of my fingers.
Any good story has no less than three good lessons to teach us, Dear Reader. Bunnicula is no exception. The last lesson is one of morality. This fascinating story provides an excellent opportunity for you to teach why jumping to conclusions and excluding those who are different is not something nice to do.
Even though the entire series has titles such as The Celery Stalks at Midnight and Howl-iday Inn, the only howling your young ones will be doing is that of laughter. Unless of course they decide to imitate the dogs, which that, Dear Reader, is an entirely different story.
Yours in profound solemnity,
I. Reid
P.S. If you have a dog and the children ask for chocolate cupcakes, please use this opportunity to teach them chocolate is toxic to dogs.
Wise Owl Factory, being inspired by i-Reid’s post and the pivotal role of homonyms in Bunnicula, has made this freebie for elementary education: FREE HOMONYM MATCHING CARDS.
Thank you for reading!
You might also like other posts by i-Reid.
Thank you for your review of this book iRead! it sounds like a cute and clever book. I will have to see if the library system has it over here. I’ve already written it down so we’ll look into it during our weekly visit. I’d love to see more from you in the future, keep up the great work!
Carolyn, I will have to re-teach myself all of the English terms again as I teach my children and you help to refresh my memory 🙂 Although my eldest isn’t quite ready for this game yet, he is starting to catch on about different spellings for similar sounding words so I’ve downloaded the game so it’s ready to go when he is!
Thank so so very much, Deb, we are honored you shared our post.
I thoroughly enjoyed the book review by I. Reid! And thanks, Carolyn, for another awesome free printable! I featured the homonym matching cards as the Free Printable of the Day at the Living Montessori Now Facebook page and on Pinterest.
Thanks for your comment! My first graders laughed at the easy reader version, but the children do learn more when they can comprehend the chapter book. Thanks!
Thank you for your review, iRead! You have a wonderful grasp of the English language! My kids (ages 6 and under) would not get the humor in this series yet, but when I taught grades 3-5 it was one of their favorites. Thanks for reminding me!
Suzy, this is a fairly standard read in elementary school in October. Schools have to be pretty low key about Halloween, but of course the children think about the holiday at school. This addressses the fun of that time of year without being inappropriate. Thanks for your comment!
Hello, Rebecca, there is a version that would be appropriate for 2 year olds as there are some easy reader versions. The chapter books would be too long. There are three animal characters (a bunny, a dog, and a cat) so that helps children engage with the story. And it is a fun sort of mystery. It is better than scary stories! Thanks for you comment.
What a fun book! I”ll have to add this to my list of books to check out from the library. Do you think it would be appropriate for my two year olds?
Thanks, I. Reid! I hope you write more posts!
Fantastic read!
I’ve never heard of this book before but it sounds hilarious. I’ll have to see if I can’t find it or another in the same series. Sounds like something my children would love to read!
Thanks so much, I’m going to visit your post now, it sounds great. We always liked Reading Rainbow! Thanks.
I loved that book as a kid and this is the perfect time of year to share it with my own children! Thanks for the tip! Your post was a lot of fun to read, too!