Sale price

$958

Board Book · Ages 2–6 · 2013

This Little Hamster

By Kass Reich

Discover colors with a playful hamster in this charming board book for little ones.

6.1/7 Bookroo experts·3.8/5 Goodreads · 73 ratings

24 pages

$9.95Save 4%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Join a lively hamster on a colorful adventure in this delightful board book. With rhyming couplets and vibrant illustrations, young readers will explore the world of colors in a fun and engaging way. Perfect for babies and toddlers, this book promises to captivate both children and adults alike, making learning an enjoyable experience. What colors will you discover with this little hamster?

From the publisher

This Little Hamster is a spirited playful board book for babies and toddlers. Rhyming couplets and cheerful illustrations will capture the interest of both child and adult readers. This follow-up to Kass Reich’s bestselling debut, Hamsters Holding Hands, is a charming introduction to basic colors that will fascinate little ones.

At a glance

Format: Board book
Pages: 24
Reading age: 2–6
Audience: Board
Lexile: AD450L

Themes & topics

Books about colors Books about animals Books about mice, hamster, guinea pigs, etc.Books about first concepts Books about hamsters

The Bookroo review

What our editors thought of This Little Hamster

This color book is a step above your typical introduction for infants and toddlers. Featuring Reich’s signature pear-shaped hamsters, this is our favorite to date of Reich’s hamster set including an opposites, vehicles and numbers book in addition to this color spectacular. Is anyone else tired of red apples? While This Little Hamster does include some objects that little readers will recognize right off the bat—a rubber duck, cherries, cupcakes, etc.—it also presents a smorgasbord of more eclectic objects including a spool of thread, a bowl of jello, a prize winning pepper and a bubble machine that will expand little horizons and encourage thinking outside of the box. This Little Hamster also leaves the pack of color books behind in the realm of sheer re-readability with a cadence and rhyme scheme that makes this a great read-aloud without requiring mental energy from the reading adult to fill in the gaps.

The verdict

“A substantive yet silly color book with character worth reading again and again.”

Bookroo Editorial

Reviewed October 2019

6.1/7

After the last page

Talk about it together

As you work through this book, ask your child to think of other things that correspond with each of these colors! Encourage them to think out of the box, just like Kass Reich does!

This is one of our Bookroo team's favorite color books—ask your child what THEIR favorite color book is. Consider collecting all of your color books and reading them one after another.

Good to know

Stories behind the story

Bookroo: This Little Hamster is such a fun board book. Did you have a specific audience in mind as you created the story?

I taught preschool for a few years a while back. This Little Hamster was inspired by my class. I wrote and illustrated the book based entirely on what I thought they would find funny.

Bookroo: Did you have a chance to share the story with your students? What was their reaction?

I did! They seemed to really like it, there were a lot of laughs. The preschool students I was teaching at the time were learning English as a second language, so it helped when silly actions were acted out while reading the story.

Bookroo: Your cute hamsters have now been featured in four books. Did you know when you started you’d create more than one story with these characters?

I had absolutely no idea anything would come of my little hamster characters. Before I moved abroad I was really into oil painting but shifted gears towards illustration as the supplies were easier to pack and they didn’t require a properly ventilated studio space to work with. Since I was teaching little guys it seemed like a natural next step to write and illustrate for them. I never considered trying to get published until my mom submitted my book to Orca Book Publishers without telling me. It was a serious shock when got an email from them saying they wanted to publish my book! After that, one book turned into a series of four. I’m not sure if I would have pursued a career as an illustrator if it weren’t for that surprise email. Thanks mom.

What readers & critics say

Reviews

6.1

out of 7

5.3

“The illustrations in this book are a little different, but have really grown on me. I love these little hamsters that love their colors! One thing I like about this book is that there are a few different items that go with each color, which makes it fun to point them out and talk about them with little ones.”

B is for Bookworm

Trusted reviewer

6.0

“This Little Hamster is a fun and playful new take on a book about color. The spirited hamsters celebrate their eclectic collections of colorful objects in unexpected combinations in clever, rhyming couplets. The spare, consistent illustrations allow for easy identification of each item, facilitating the assembly of our own colorful objects.”

Grammy

Trusted reviewer

6.0

“Kass Reich is such a talented individual in the children's book space. We really enjoy This Little Hamster around our home. I like her illustration style. It's very playful and fun.”

The Goodfather

Trusted reviewer

7.0

“Such a clever, original and delightful take on a traditional colors books. The little hamster characters are hilarious and enthusiastic and the variety of colored objects (a prize winning pepper and a bubble machine!) make this an absolutely entertaining read that's several steps above your average colors book.”

Marmee

Trusted reviewer

“Once again, the hamsters’ abundant enthusiasm and Reich’s humorous penchant for unexpected props (the green-obsessed hamster has “a prize-winning pepper and a bubble machine”) are a winning combination.”

Publisher's Weekly

Critic

“While there are some cute hamster antics going on here, it is an ineffective color concept book for the youngest readers.”

Kirkus

Critic

For readers who can't stop at one