Book Jacket

 

rank 1010
word count 33120
date submitted 24.04.2012
date updated 19.08.2012
genres: Fiction, Fantasy, Children's
classification: universal
complete

The Uncle Bunkle Stories

Tod Schneider (writing as Uncle Bunkle)

Cordelia, her mama Penca, her grandma Anacely and Jack the Dog find tiny aunts and uncles underneath the bunk bed, including one who tells stories.

 

With the help of an armadillo, Cordelia rids her pants of tiny ants, who turn out to be aunts. But that’s just where it starts! Soon she discovers tiny men, building houses down beneath her bunk bed. They are politely asked to leave, and when they don’t they are sent off to live with those tiny aunts. Finally Cordelia discovers one last uncle, down beneath the bunk bed, scratching with a goose feather pen. He and his scribblings are swept skywards, but before he disappears he cries out, “Those are your stories! But do not worry, for as sure as I am your Uncle Bunkle I shall bring them back to you!” This is more important than she realizes – for without her stories, she will lose all her memories from her earliest years, when she was tiny as well. And so begin the Uncle Bunkle stories.

 
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tags

children, elementary, fantasy, feminist, funny, girls, silly

on 9 watchlists

26 comments

 

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amor87 wrote 104 days ago

CHIRG REVIEW: THE UNCLE BUNCLE STORES

Tod,

Here is my return read and CHIRG review. ☺

FIRST IMPRESSION

Based off your pitch, I really like that this is where we are getting a little of the backstory. I’m expecting an entertaining and age appropriate read! Also, I love the rhyming name Uncle Buncle. I think kids will really like that!

CHAPTER 1 & 2

After reading through this, I think it is full of imagination and wit. From explaining where aunts and uncles come from, to the armadillo, to the fun names, this is an easy and engaging read. I did have a question about the MC age. 10 seems a little old for the main character, considering the target age group. But perhaps I’m just thinking this because I see this book more for “emerging readers.” So that the target age group would be around 7-9. You may be targeting a slightly older audience, but with the theme of the story that makes me think that it is for younger readers. Anyways, all in all, a colorful story! I can see illustrations going perfectly with this and that this is something that kids would read before going to bed at night! Well done! High stars from me!

Best,

A

CARite wrote 114 days ago

The Uncle Bunkle stories-
Tod, I love the whimsical miniature world you have created with these little people.They are fantastically fun little stories sure to delight any who read them. Fabulous!
Cindy
CADreilling The Line-Beginnings

evermoore wrote 155 days ago

CHRG
Tod...what an amazing imagination you have to create such fun tales. From the first you present a fun stage for the rest that follows. I can see my Doodlebugs loving this book...I can even hear them quoting some of the parts by heart because it would be one they read often, just for the smiles you evoke. The animals were perfect for your cast of characters and I'm leaving you with a smile and six stars.
Best of luck and God bless..
Linda
Daniel Simmons Journey
and
Children Walking with Jesus

Diane60 wrote 188 days ago

CHIRG

Tod, what a super set of stories! they are funny and charming and i love the use of the same characters throughout. really enjoyable for everyone! i especially loved the pumpkin story (being a halloween baby). Read all 18 chapters.
:)
diane

Blancherose wrote 196 days ago

This is fun with the play on words and a easy read for children to listen to, and entertaining enough to keep grownups reading.

Blessings with the book!

Roslyn
Scribe-Lings, for your child like heart
"I Am" Through the Ages, for your seeking heart

margaret c wrote 200 days ago

I loved this bit of nonsense it made me smile. I read a few chapters then raced to the last chaper to see how it would end. Thorougly entertaining, Little children should love this, after they have checked uner the bed! Sorry it has taken me so long to read it. Margaret C. The Magic Kingdom

Lacee Alysse wrote 213 days ago

This is very cute and silly. My kids would adore this! Very good for chapter reading to five year olds I'd say.

Lacee Alysse wrote 213 days ago

This is very cute and silly. My kids would adore this! Very good for chapter reading to five year olds I'd say.

Joseph P wrote 247 days ago

Have been dipping in and out of The Lost Wink, also by Tom Schneider, and loving it the more I read it, very clever, charming tale told in a spellbinding tone. Glad to have backed it and 6-starred too. Now I've also discovered The Uncle Bunkle Stories, hilarious, another unique yarn. Highly recommended - for children my age and younger.

sunkle wrote 272 days ago

Chucklesome stories from Uncle Bunkle.
(I also took my nickname from similar sounding Sunkle 'The One Arm Fisherman', a story-telling character of a previous book I wrote)
These stories would be enchanting as a bedtime read for kids snuggled under the covers and read by a parent. They remind me of the old fairy tales of medieval fantasy.
A couple of tiny observations...
Do you pronounce 'aunts' as 'ants' in USA? We say, 'arnts' for 'aunts' in UK (ants as 'ants') but be assured that it doesn't detract from the great fun of the story for British readers.
In the book preview you state an aardvark sucks up the ants but in the book it's an armadillo (?)
Just minor observations for a very well written and entertaining read. I'm gladly backing this book.

David F. Norman wrote 289 days ago

As a curmudgeonly old man, I would be terrified trying to read a story to a small child. I think I could handle these.

I probably would get my tongue angled over some of the repeated dialog, but I know that is a commonly used device in children's stories. Really I can find no faults here a little editing for punctuation would not fix.

Good Job.

kokako wrote 289 days ago

CHIRG

Hi Tod,

I’ve read the start of your lovely ‘The Lost Wink’, so I thought I’d have a quick dip into ‘The Uncle Bunkle Stories’.

Ch 1

Interesting story, Tod. This is nicely put together, with a good balance between narrative and dialogue and a lovely story-teller tone. I suspect my accent doesn’t do the story full justice, but it was a lot of fun all the same. Very reminiscent of Rudyard Kipling’s Just-So Stories.

I only have one suggestion;
‘like a skittering spider, looking for ants to eat’
remove the comma, otherwise it sounds as though Cordelia is looking for ants to eat.

Ch 2

I like the way you’ve carried Cordelia through into the second story.

Just a few minor suggestions, to use or toss as you please.

1) ‘true,” he replied’
full stop after ‘replied’

2) ‘said the man’
full stop after ‘man’

3) ‘Oh great,” said Cordelia’
full stop after ‘Cordelia’

Another fun story.

Ch 3

Nice ending.

You write beautifully and the stories are quick and entertaining. Perfect for young children. Well done.

Sue

Julie_Undead wrote 290 days ago

Tod,
I was pleased to read the Uncle Bunkle stories to my 5 year old boy. He asked for more at the end of each one, and sat still straight through chapter 4! He giggled at the tiny people, and loved that there was an armadillo involved. He had no issue with the more "grown up" phrases. I think it is critical to use some formal language in children's books, as it encourages them to ask questions and deduce meanings of words from the context of the sentence. I, personally, love the tiny people...they remind me of The Indian in the Cupboard, which I always wished would happen to me. Charming, funny, crisp and warm. The Hutchings family gives it a thumbs up! I am happy to back your book.
--Julie

Kenneth Edward Lim wrote 321 days ago

Tod,
This book is a winner, full of silly scenarios a child would find appealing. Cordelia's world outside her walnut shell is rife with tiny aunts, dried snakes, weird chickens, a my-my bird and an uncle who grows up. Each chapter has a Dr. Seuss zaniness that invites reading aloud especially at bedtime for that final laugh before dreamland where hopefully the story continues. Thank you so much for sharing.

Kenneth Edward Lim
The North Korean

scargirl wrote 324 days ago

strong writing, but i didn't think i would like this from the premise and the idea of aunts and uncles under the bed....
j

MarkAM wrote 328 days ago

A charming and delightful children's book with lots of colorful characters to pique the imagination. From start to finish, it keeps the reader enraptured as though reading with the mind of a child; yet with the complete ability to make parallels to everyday life. Thank you for sharing this book and I wish you the best for its success.

- Mark
"Look to the Sky"

benedict wrote 341 days ago

CHIRG REVIEW

Hi there, Tod,

You definitely have a good command of language and a head full of fantastic ideas. Your writing is almost flawless, I normally come away with a whole page of corrections from most people's books but have found hardly anything here.

I really liked the idea of the little aunt and uncles, especially of them growing inside the grandmother's tummy. The ideas in the second chapter are also interesting, with the man capable of speaking to the various animals. I felt the stories came into their own in the fourth chapter which was the first instance in which you deliver a complete narrative for us to enjoy. I also liked its folk tale like qualities and of course your excellent prose. The dialogue in that chapter is particularly good.

However before this point, I found your first three chapters far too disparate and lacking in defining narratives to help children settle into the stories. Your first chapter happens in a clearly fantastical world and yet you don't give us the slightest description except to say that there is a desert nearby, which also seems to be contradicted in chapter 4 when you say they live in a forest. The second chapter is narrated by an unknown narrator and its narrative is yet to relate in any way with the rest of the book. I actually felt that chapter four does a better job of introducing the world of the book than anything that comes before.

My only other criticism was that you sometimes lapse into rather formal language which I felt wasn't really fitting with the target audience.

Here are the few close corrections I found:

cat-sized scaly creatures that gobble up ants.
-A little too technical, I’d say : scaly creatures the size of cats that…

Perhaps you could set the scene a little and at least tell us that Cordelia lived next to a desert, before we’re told her dog goes off into it to look for an armadillo – though I accept you are going for a rather surreal feel.

she burped you OUT when you were a baby too!

CH 2
This was especially true OF Ella

I’ve no basis for comparison.
-rather formal language for a young children’s book

leaving me unmolested when I was so inclined
-again this is funny language for an adult but I find it rather too formal

She checked out the door
More checked than checked out, no?

Some really nice ideas and language but I think you have to rejig the opening.
Highly starred.

Best of luck,

Benedict

Sarah Armin wrote 344 days ago

Dear Tod,
I read some parts of your story, and I realized it very sweet.
I hope I can know your opinion about my story: http://authonomy.com/books/44638/christmas-s-snowy-dream/
I look forward for receive your comment as soon as possible.
With best wishes
Elham

faith rose wrote 345 days ago

Dear Tod,

You have another charmer here! Wow...I'm so impressed. I loved your previous piece, so it's no surprise to find such a gem from you. I read your first two chapters, and I love the characters, the word choice, and the complete "sillyness." This will go far. Wonderfully written.

All the very best,
Faith Rose
Now To Him

Cariad wrote 346 days ago

Hi. CHIRG here.

What a great cover you have - did you draw it? I really enjoyed your book - and if my girls were still young(er) it is just he sort of thing we would have enjoyed reading together. I felt it had an old fashioned feel - and by that, I don't mean it negatively, as in the writing is old fashioned - I mean the sort of story that you used to find, and don'd come across so much any more. It reminded me a bit of brer rabbit, andn a bit of Milly Molly Mandy - in that they can be read and shared and they have charm and rhythm and deal with things young readers will recognise. There's a nice, lyrical feel to the words, they flow and sway while reading them. Altogether an unusual and delightful book, which I will happily star, and put on my watchlist for shelving when my list is covered.
Cariad.

JMF wrote 353 days ago

Hi Tod
CHIRG
As promised I have returned to look at your lovely stories. You have a great imagination and a very original style. I'm sure young children will enjoy having these read to them at bedtime. I'm sorry, I haven't got much to say in terms of criticism - they are well-written and enjoyable. One nitpick in ch 2 "You rally must stop." Should be really.
All the best with your writing.
Highly starred.
Julia
Shadow Jumper

leelah wrote 357 days ago

I have read the two first chapters and am smiles all over. Silly logic - what I love the most. Both very small children and a little older girls like me (67) will love this. Its the kind of books I would LOVE to read to the little ones in my family. Most grown ups don't have the necessary appreciation of the silly-world - and that is sad: it is crammed with the beauty of the non-expected.
High stars ans watchlisted, soon on my shelf.
Leelah Saachi

maretha wrote 361 days ago

Dear Tod, Your Uncle Bunkle Story book is on my watchlist and I've starred highly for a most informative and inmaginative book for children. I've read up to ch 9 and will continue soon. I promised my grandchild that I would read another children's story to her.
You are such a natural storyteller that I can only say: Well done! I love the dialogue among the main characters and of course Jack the Dog is a star.
Thank you so much for reminding us that we were children too once upon a time
kindest regards
Maretha/African Adventures of Flame, Family, Furry and Feathered Friends

keirthomas wrote 362 days ago

I read the first three intro chapters, then two following chapters. So I suppose you want me to write a review? Sorry but I cannot.

I'm joking! I'm happy to review such a fantastic book. Extememely well written by somebody who is quite clearly a born storyteller, I found these stories enchanting, funny and charming. As I hope is obvious, Tod Schneider is creating a new mythology here, and weaves dreamlike worlds that have the key characteristic of successful mythology: they're internally consistent and fantastic in a way that is plausible. Despite being often strange, everything makes sense! (Do I get points for pointing out the link to Greek myths and the birth of the major gods when the little people are swallowed early on? There might be other influences too.)

Above all the stories are entertaining and even compulsive reading. This book is going on my shelf.

One minor point: when the little people are boxed up early on by Cordelia, I began to worry about them starving to death, sealed in their boxes for four days. Not to mention air issues. This is the kind of small detail kids tend to pick up on.

Jed Oliver wrote 378 days ago

Tod, this is wonderfully charming and original writing. Very enjoyable! Best of luck with all your books!
Regards, Jed Oliver (French Roast and Lingerie) (Saving Bob)

patio wrote 379 days ago

Aunts, stop eating and drinking in his Anancely's tummy

I like this book. Its funny and easy to follow
crisp dialogue

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