Hamsters to the Rescue

by Ellen Stoll Walsh

Overview

Henry and Pell have plenty of determination and courage. Never mind that they're just a couple of hamsters. They're hamsters with a mission--they found a feather and need to return it to the seagull that lost it. Nothing they encounter along the way will stop them. Not giant sand dunes. Not cranky crabs. Not even the big scary seagull himself!

Ellen Stoll Walsh's gently suspenseful story about perseverance includes a fun seek-and-find shell game at the end of the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780547564333
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	09/01/2005
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
Lexile:	AD490L (what's this?)
File size:	23 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	3 Months to 3 Years

About the Author

Ellen Stoll Walsh is the author-illustrator of many popular books for children, including the successful Mouse Paint and Mouse Count books. She lives in upstate New York.

Editorial Reviews

PreS-Gr 1-This tale lacks the simplicity and tight plotting that have made Walsh's previous books so successful. Pell and Henry find a seagull feather and decide to return it. Their trip to find the owner leads them along the seashore where they have a series of short adventures and meet some seaside dwellers. Finally, they reach the bird, who thanks them for the return of his now-broken feather and gives them plumes of their own. After playing with them, they decide to find their way home. The meandering plot, while extremely childlike, lacks momentum, some of the phrasing is awkward, and the ending is abrupt. The final page includes a picture of shells and the question: "Can you find these shells in Henry and Pell's story?," implying a search-and-find game, which may be the only motivation for repeated readings. Walsh's appealing hamsters and the backgrounds in her signature cut-paper collages are easy on the eye, yet curiously static. The bright colors, interesting textures, and speckled rocks are pleasing to look at, and readers will learn about seaside animals along the way. Unfortunately, the story feels overburdened and is less than satisfying.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Two male hamsters, Henry and Pell, find a feather during a visit to the beach. As they attempt to find the seagull who lost the feather, they meet a hermit crab and a fiddler crab. When the hamsters finally find the seagull, he explains that he can grow new feathers and he gives the hamsters some small feathers of their own to play with. The final page shows eight different kinds of shells that were included in the previous illustrations so young readers can go back to search for them. Walsh's characteristic cut-paper collage illustrations are appealing, as usual, and the story, though slight, has moments of humor and includes a few simple facts about the beach environment and the creatures the hamsters meet. (Picture book. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews