Hamsters on the Go

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

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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)

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