The Hamster in Our Class

April 1, 2012

K-Gr 3-Although these books are billed as titles to read to students preparing for a class pet, their format limits their use to a few viewers at a time so they can see the photos, maps, and diagrams. Basic facts about the featured animals in their wild environments and requirements for food, housing, and care are incorporated into a story about a teacher and her class. Some information about anatomy and life cycle is included. The series' value is marred by curious lapses, such as the discrepancies between the aquarium described in the text and the one shown in the accompanying photo in Frog. The comparison in Hamster between gerbils and hamsters indicates that the former would make better pets, so one has to wonder why the publisher didn't do a book on gerbils.

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

April 1, 2012
Grades 1-3 Mrs. Wood's class sure knows how to make a rodent feel at home: they outfit Hamlet the hamster with a two-tiered cagewith an upper level for climbing and a lower level for nestingand feed him hamster mix and fresh veggies. The narrative format features a class making all the right moves in pet care, which will help children, either individually or in a group, get the basics of proper care and handling of hamsters. Solid nonfiction material is woven throughout the story: there's a brief breakdown of hamster breeds, advice for new pet owners (wear gloves; startled hamsters bite!), as well as fun facts strewn hither and yon. And just in case readers still have trouble telling the difference, there's a helpful compare-and-contrast guide to gerbils and hamsters. (Bottom line: hamsters are sort of violent.) Other entries in the Class Pet series focus on fish, frogs, and turtles.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)