Bunnicula — Chapter 7

About This Passage

This passage captures a precise small moral moment. Harold has figured out that Bunnicula (now his friend) is sick, and he wants to tell Chester (his old friend) so they can work together. But he also recognizes that Chester is too angry to listen. The combination — recognizing that a friend needs you, recognizing that another friend cannot help, recognizing that you will have to do the job alone — is one of the emotional textures of real adult life that children's books rarely acknowledge. Howe acknowledges it in three short sentences. Copying this passage teaches a writer how a sequence of short, honest sentences can carry the weight of a complex emotional situation without any dramatic language.

Narration Prompt

In your own words, tell the story of this chapter. What were the most important moments? What made them important — and how do you know?

Discussion Questions

1. In the early chapters, Harold thought of Bunnicula as 'that silly rabbit' and treated him as Chester's problem. Now in Chapter 7, Harold calls Bunnicula 'my friend' and is willing to break ranks with Chester to save him. What specific moments in the book do you think caused this shift in Harold's feelings? Can you trace the change?
2. Chester says he is 'only being cruel to be kind' — a phrase people use to justify hurtful actions they believe are necessary. Is Chester telling himself the truth, or is he using the phrase to justify something that is just cruelty? What test would help us tell the difference?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide