Ned and the Great Garden Hamster Race: A Story About Kindness

by Kim Hillyard, Kim Hillyard (Illustrator)

Overview

Meet Ned, a determined little hamster ready to win a big race!

3, 2, 1, go!

Ned the hamster has been in training for the Great Garden Hamster Race. But when race day arrives, the route is cluttered with critters in need of help. Will he realize that a few small acts of kindness are more important than winning at any cost?

This positive picture book from author-illustrator Kim Hillyard will inspire readers big and small to look up and offer help to those who might need it.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780593753460
Publisher:	Penguin Young Readers Group
Publication date:	07/02/2024
Sold by:	Penguin Group
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	25 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

After completing a degree in Drama at the University of Exeter, Kim Hillyard spent nine years working as a music journalist for various publications, including NME, Time Out, and the BBC. She has also worked as a drama and arts facilitator, delivering assemblies, storytelling, and workshops in schools, bookstores, and community spaces on everything from phonics to creative writing.

Editorial Reviews

05/06/2024

In Hillyard’s feel-good tale, a roly-poly hamster named Ned learns to pay kindness forward during an adventuresome race. On the day of the big event, it’s not long before “ready to win” Ned takes the lead. Prioritizing his drive to come in first, he “zooms” past a slug in need of direction, some hungry pigeons, and a figure stuck in a deep hole—“but Ned does not have time to stop and help.” When the potato-shaped protagonist gets into a tight spot mid-race, the unexpected generosity of a passerby causes him to rethink what winning can look like, resulting in a mid-race backtrack and a memorable takeaway that sees all the funny, furry runners come together. Thick, smudgy smears of color and crayon-like markings give scenes a naif quality, while googly eyes and buckteeth lend the racers a likable goofiness that helps successfully deliver a message of kindliness. Ages 4–8. (July)

Publishers Weekly

2024-04-20
A young hamster is too focused on winning to stop and help others in need, until a mishap of his own teaches him that kindness matters more than speed.

Ned has been training hard for the Great Garden Hamster Race. Hamsters have gathered from around the globe, and though many of them look speedy, Ned is determined to win. Nothing will slow him down—not even encounters with a lost slug, hungry pigeons, and a rabbit trapped in a hole. But soon, Ned needs some help himself. When a passing fox treats him with unexpected kindness, Ned realizes that caring for others is more important than winning. He retraces his steps to help the other animals in distress. Long after dark, Ned is still running the race, but the end is in sight. He finds the other hamsters waiting for him so they can all cross the finish line together. The turning point focuses primarily on Ned’s actions rather than his thoughts or emotions; because the book doesn’t explore the motivation behind his change of heart, the message feels somewhat diminished. Still, it’s a feel-good tale, and the illustrations, painted in chunky brushstrokes with handwritten speech bubbles, brim with stylistic appeal.

A sweetly simple story with a straightforward, if somewhat superficial, message of altruism. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews