Written by: Deborah Howe and James Howe
Illustrated by: Alan Daniel
Before it’s too late, Harold the dog and Chester the cat must find out the truth about the newest pet in the Monroe household — a suspicious-looking bunny with unusual habits…and fangs!
Summary is from the Simon and Schuster website.
This book has some of my favorite characters in it and is a hilarious read! I love books that give you the story from the animals’ point of view, while they continue to live what appears to be normal pet lives in the eyes of the humans. The addition of a new pet in the Monroe house is severely complicated by its apparent evil, midnight expeditions. You will definitely see your own pets in a whole new way!
Discussion/Project Ideas:
1. Bringing new pets into your life can be complicated not only for the humans, but for the animals as well. For example, cats and horses both have specific ways to introduce a current cat or horse to a new cat or horse that is joining the family. Find three strategies to help introduce a cat and horse to a new friend of the same species and make a list for each animal. Take each list and put the strategies in order from least complicated to most complicated.
2. List ten major events that are critical to the plot and put them in order. Are there any events that could happen in a different order without affecting the plot? Can you identify the building events? Can you identify the climax?
3. List as briefly as possible the various plot strands that are wrapped up in the denouement. Denouement in a fun word (check the pronunciation, it is equally interesting) and refers to all the loose strands of the story that are explained or resolved after the climax. The challenge here is to be brief. Just like you wouldn’t want the end of a story to ramble on, try to get to the main points and be done.