HELP ME FIND MY HAMSTER!

Readers are invited to locate a missing rodent, while encountering many other animals along the way.

The unseen narrator is distraught from the very start: “I LOST MY HAMSTER! My snuggable, huggable hamster!” But the hamster’s distinct characteristics (“fuzzy floof ears,” “nibble nubbin nose,” and “bitty brown tail”) should make it very easy to find the lost pet. Suddenly, two pink ears stick up from the edge of the page (one might even say “fuzzy flaps of floof”). The narrator joyously shouts, “MY HAMSTER!” But a page turn reveals that the ears belong to…a hippo. The narrator advises readers to back away slowly. Soon after, an extreme close-up of a nose (perhaps a “nubbin” one) has the narrator confidently shouting, “MY HAMSTER!” But instead, it belongs to…a naked mole rat. Once the joke is established, kids will have fun shouting out what animal might be next. Hartman’s narration is chatty and a bit over the top: “You’re probably starting to think I made this whole thing up. Maybe I don’t have a hamster. Maybe hamsters don’t even exist.” Pudgy, adorable animals (who look sweet even when they’re baring sharp teeth or glaring menacingly) add to the silliness.

Ridiculous, participatory fun.