Little Master Stoker Dracula: A Counting Primer

Super cute!

Excellent

Okay. Confession time. I have no children. I am a thirty-two-year-old woman who just really really *really* likes Dracula, and I bought this because I felt I needed an eleventh version of the book to go on my shelf of Draculas. While I obviously cannot attest as to how well this particular Dracula might be received by its target audience, I can say that it seems immensely more invested in the unabridged version of the text than most adaptations of the novel and that you need to legit read this to your baby if you want them to have a more nuanced taste in late Victorian Gothic revival literature than other children of their age. The Demeter is labelled. A nautical symbol on one of the tombstones gives a nod to the fact it should be in a Whitby churchyard. All three suitors are present and named. (That's right, 90% of Hollywood takes on this book can't wedge in Quincey Morris, but BabyLit can.) The "7 Diaries & Letters" page is an absolute treasure. Mina's diary has a little "MM + JH" in a heart, and it's the cutest dang thing that your baby will not possibly be able to comprehend, giving you some plot points to expound upon as you no doubt also try to explain Edison wax cylinder roles and why one of the diaries is a phonograph. Lastly, the one actual excerpt from the novel is sarcastically labelled "Speedy Telegram," and its the fateful telegraphic message whose late arrival is instrumental in everything screwing up such that Lucy *dies.* That's right. This book just lays out a blackly humorous acknowledgement of the constricting web of fate that kills one of the original novel's heroines. I really cannot see how your child can avoid becoming super metal by learning to count with such a masterpiece.

I like the book series since its a good way to get the child introduced to classics. I'm not impressed with this particular book since it doesn't offer much reading experience. A mini storyline is very much needed.

This is a great number primer. My 1 year old loves it and I love getting the classics into her world.