This charming counting book features spunky, pear-shaped hamsters (Need proof? Look no further than “Three hamsters with a pear”) engaging in simple yet unexpected fun: “Five hamsters playing nice/ Six hamsters eating rice.” Debut talent Reich brings subtle, off-kilter humor—with props like balloons, pinwheels, and snorkel gear—and an understated style to her spreads, with the hamsters’ citrus hues playfully smudged outside their outlines. It’s hard not to smile at images of the happy hamsters jumping rope or working on their tans. Up to age 3. (Apr.)
"The illustrations are brightly colored and full of activities. This is a delightful book that children and parents will enjoy reading together again and again."
Southwestern Ohio Young Adult Materials Review Group
"There's a lovely quiet charm about this board book...Definitely check this book out for young readers or kids practicing their numbers."
Crowding the Book Truck blog
"Counting books are a dime a dozen, but few attain the outright adorableness of Montreal artist Kass Reich's first board book. Rendered in earth tones with hints of hot pink, Reich's splay-toed rodents frolic in the sun, eat some rice, and, yes, hold hands. The text is simple and fun, a combination that will no doubt strike a chord with wee ones."
"Why another counting book? All you have to do is look at the adorable hamster heroes in this original board book...Their outstretched front paws and wide grins exude joy...Pure delight."
"A cheerful little counting book that both parents and children will find a fun and simple introduction to counting from one to ten. Each hamster filled page offers rhymes and activities that are easy to vocally embellish or mime for the enjoyment of both parent and child."
"Here's a new board book for infants and toddlers that will entertain them, teach them the numbers from one to 10, and will set their toes a-tapping...Parents and wee ones can enjoy [Reich's] charming poems and captivating illustrations together. A lovely gift for a baby, your own or someone else's."
"Ridiculously sweet and fun....Reich’s illustration style, too, is unique and playful. The palette is all gentle, warm, browns and oranges and soft greens and yellows. The outlines of the images are clearly drawn but a bit wobbly, and the washes of colour spill outside the lines a bit, here and there, in sort of a tacit ode to the drawings of little kids. The small details are fantastically clever as well...If you’re bored to death of tired, retread counting books, Hamsters Holding Hands is the solution to your problem!"
"Why another counting book? All you have to do is look at the adorable hamster heroes in this original board book...Their outstretched front paws and wide grins exude joy...Pure delight."
There's a lovely quiet charm about this board book...Definitely check this book out for young readers or kids practicing their numbers.
Crowding The Book Truck blog
One lone hamster welcomes nine friends to join in on the fun in this offbeat romp. As the numbers count up from one to 10, the visual design presents a straightforward sequence. On the left-hand page, a large hand-drawn numeral appears above the simple text, which begins with the number spelled out. The right-hand page depicts the appropriate number of hamsters engaged in a variety of activities. Though the lines rhyme, there is little to no relationship from one to the next. "Three hamsters with a pear / Four hamsters in the air." The growing crowd of rodents interact in quirky fashion. Pudgy, soft characters strike unusual poses; they eat rice with chopsticks and bask in the sun. Smatterings of color extend outside the borders to emphasize the number and the animals' hues. Against light, lime-green backgrounds, their collective hamster-ness is emphasized over individuality. Their faces are most endearing when their quivering smiles are on display, but their open-mouthed expressions sometimes resemble a grimace. With visuals that far exceed the text in interest, this count-up is one disjointed trip. (Board book. 6 mos.-3)
