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October 2009
James Howe
Brief Biography
James Howe was born on August 2nd, 1946 in Oneida, New York. In 1979, he published his first book: Bunnicula: A Rabbit Tale of Mystery which he wrote with his wife Deborah. Bunnicula was inspired by the many late night horror shows that James and Deborah enjoyed watching. Since Bunnicula, Howe has gone on to write more than 70 books which range from simple picture books, to beginning to read stories, to elementary school novels, to novels for middle and high schoolers.
"Humor is the most precious gift I can give to my reader, a reminder that the world is not such a terribly serious place. There is more than video games and drugs and nuclear threats; there is laughter—and there is hope." --James Howe
Bunnicula: A Rabbit-Tale of Mystery
When the Monroe family returns from a theatre showing of the film Dracula, they are carrying a blanket wrapped around a shoe box containing dirt and a black and white rabbit. The family cat, Chester, is highly suspicious of this unusual rabbit with his odd widow's peak markings. After finding a white tomato, Chester becomes convinced that Bunnicula is a vampire rabbit who sucks the juice out of vegetables. He convinces Harold (the Monroe family dog and narrator of the story) that it is up to them to save their family from the vampire bunny.
Howliday Inn
The Bunnicula seried continues in Howliday Inn (which doesn't actually feature Bunnicula). When the Monroe family goes on vacation, they leave Chester and Harold at Chateau Bow-Wow. That first night the silence is pierced by an unearthly howl which prompts Chester to suggest the place be called Howliday Inn. When animals start disappearing, Chester suspects murder, and he and Harold start to wonder whether they will be the next victims.
The Celery Stalks at Midnight
Bunnicula returns in the third book in the series: The Celery Stalks at Midnight. Bunnicula has escaped and Chester is certain the world's vegetables are in danger of being drained and turned into zombies. He soon has Harold and the new puppy, Howie, running about and staking drained vegetables with toothpicks.
Nighty-Nightmare
In Nighty-Nightmare, Harold, Chester, and Howie find themselves lost in the woods with their strange new companion Dawg. Lulling Dawg to sleep with a bedtime story might be their only chance of escape. But is the frightening tale Chester tells about Bunnicula's origins really only fiction? This is without a doubt the creepiest of the Bunnicula books.
The series continues with Return to Howliday Inn, Bunnicula Strikes Again, and Bunnicula Meets Edgar Allan Crow (a perfect book to read in celebration of the Poe Bicentennial).
For those not ready to read the Bunnicula novels, Howe has written a series of beginning-to-read books about Bunnicula and the Monroe family and their pets, including a simplified telling of Bunnicula.
Horace and Morris but Mostly Dolores
Horace and Morris Join the Chorus but What About Dolores
Horace and Morris Say Cheese (Which Makes Dolores Sneeze)
Horace, Morris and Dolores are the main characters of a series of picture books illustrated by Amy Walrod. Horace and Morace but mostly Dolores love adventure. They do everything together and are the best of friends, until Horace and Morris join the Mega-Mice club which doesn't allow girls. In response, Dolores decides that "a girl mouse must do what a girl mouse must do" and joins the Cheese Puffs club which doesn't allow boys and spends a lot of time making crafts out of cheese. At last Dolores rebels and she and Chloris leave the club to go adventuring, recruiting Horace, Morris and Boris from the Mega-Mice on their way.
Houndsley and Catina
Houndsley and Catina and the Birthday Surprise
Houndsley and Catina and the Quiet Time
Houndsley and Catina Plink and Plunk
The Houndsley and Catina books are a beginning to read series beautifully illustrated by French artist Marie-Louise Gay, and are in the tradition of Frog and Toad and George and Martha, being stories about 2 best friends.
Misfits is Howe's outstanding Young Adult novel about stereotypes, name-calling, and labeling. Four middle school students: a quiet, overweight 12 year-old moonlighting tie salesman, an outspoken girl, a homosexual boy, and a kid branded as hooligan have been best friends for years. They've also been the targets of cruel name-calling. Now in 7th grade, the 4 friends decide they aren't going to tolerate the name-calling anymore and the outspoken Addie suggests they run against their more popular peers in the upcoming student council elections. Full of humor and insight, Misfits is a book to be read by all middle-schoolers- both the name-callers and the name-called as well as those who fall into neither category.
In Totally Joe, Joe Bunch of the Misfits gets his chance to speak. Constructed in the form of an "alphabiography" in which students have been asked to write about their lives and their friends from A-Z. This positive and optimistic story of a young homosexual is a welcome change and fantastic addition to the body of YA literature about gays and lesbians.
A couple other James Howe picture books to have a look at: There's a Dragon in My Sleeping Bag and There's a Monster Under My Bed.