Howe, Deborah and James Howe (1979). Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery. Massachusetts: McClelland & Stewart Ltd.
The story takes place in the home of the Monroe family. In their home live two very interesting and vocal animals- Harold the dog and Chester the cat. One day, the Monroe family goes to watch Dracula at the Movies. At the theatre, they find a baby bunny wrapped in a bundle and decide to take it home. When the family arrives with the bunny, Harold and Chester are a little apprehensive at first. Harold, the narrator, doesn't seem to mind the bunny much. Chester, on the other hand, seems to think that the bunny is a rabbit because of his black and white coloring and vampire like teeth. Chester want to get rid of the bunny, which the family named Bunnicula (because he was found while watching Dracula). He even reads a book on vampires to see how to kill him (with all attempts failed). Chester's attempts to kill Bunnicula include garlic around his cage and getting him with a steak (instead of a stake)! After all the animals begin to act strange, the Monroe's take them ALL to the vet. In the end, after much therapy from the psychiatrist, Chester learns to express himself and communicate well with others. At this point, Harold is over Chester and his games and Bunnicula is a regular member of their family.
The authors use understatement as a literary element by exposing the characters to us and letting us judge them and draw conclusions about them. For example,they never say that Chester is "dumb" or an "airhead", but he doesn't quite get things. It also added a lot of humor to the storyline. The dialogue between the characters was also VERY funny!! Harold was a great narrator who added lots of laughs throughout the book.
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