Hamsters on the Go Read-Along

February 15, 2016
Reich’s hamsters are back in a fourth board book, and this time they are showing off different forms of transport. The straightforward rhymes (“Hamsters in a car/ Hamsters on a boat”) belie the playful details in Reich’s images (the car is a clown car, stuffed with seven hamsters and their accouterments). The final page shows the hamsters playing with toy trucks and submarines and drawing unicycles and hot-air balloons, suggesting all of the miles covered were of an imaginary variety. Once again, these hamsters prove to be a bunch of charmers, whether on land, sea, or sky. Up to age 3.

August 1, 2016

Toddler-PreS-A concept book featuring charming and friendly pastel hamsters using a mix of typical and unexpected modes of locomotion. Traditional conveyances like a bus and train contrast with "Hamsters on a unicycle" and "Hamsters on a Moon rover." The rhyme and repetition make this an easy title to share with babies or toddlers. The cartoon-style illustrations introduce humorous detail, as shown in the facial expressions of the hamsters and the reaching tentacle on the "and even way down low" spread, while still maintaining a simplicity appropriate for a toddler audience. VERDICT Recommended for board book collections, this is a work that caregivers will enjoy sharing.-Amanda Foulk, Sacramento Public Library

Copyright 2016 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

July 1, 2016
Reich's hamsters return (Up Hamster, Down Hamster, 2015, etc.).The hamsters are back, but they're not sitting still--they're traveling to and fro in a wide variety of vehicles. The little critters use a train, a golf cart, even a moon rover to get around. The lovable hamsters are always smiling and having a good time, providing a basic but pleasurable board book for little readers. The coloring has a subdued palette that works well with the calm and straightforward text. "Hamsters in a golf cart / Hamsters in a sleigh // Hamsters drifting lazily / In a hamster way." The book doesn't boast a particularly involving or eye-catching style, but little readers with a penchant for small, furry mammals will surely be satisfied. The highlight for adult readers is the absurd vehicles these hamsters operate, including inner tubes, hot air balloons, and a pudgy yellow submarine. The relative busyness of the double-page spreads, which often relate to each other in no way at all (three hamsters in leotards balance on a unicycle on verso, while three different hamsters soar in a paper plane on recto, for instance), will challenge young readers developing a sense of narrative flow. A very cute but not so simple offering for tots. (Board book. 2-3)

COPYRIGHT(2016) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.