Hamsters Don't Fight Fires!: A Funny Picture Book for Children (Ages 4-8) About Big Dreams and Being Small

Hamsters Don't Fight Fires!: A Funny Picture Book for Children (Ages 4-8) About Big Dreams and Being Small

Meet Hugo, a tiny hamster with huge personality, who dreams of becoming a firefighter! Andrew Root’s debut is a sweet, funny tale for the youngest readers, who know that being little can be the biggest advantage of all. With fun-filled illustrations from Jessica Olien, author/artist of The Blobfish Book , Shark Detective! , and Adrift , Hugo proves once and for all that great things come in small packages. For Hugo isn’t just a hamster. He’s also a great cook, a fast runner, a slow eater, and a fantastic dancer. However, what Hugo wants most of all is to be a firefighter. And even though Hugo worries that he’s too small to fight fires, he learns that just because something is difficult, it doesn’t mean he won’t try his hardest to achieve his dream. Perfect for fans of Dragons Love Tacos by Adam Rubin and Daniel Salmieri and Dream Big Little Pig by Kristi Yamaguchi and Tim Bowers. PreS-Gr 1— Hugo the hamster is many things: a fine cook, a good citizen, and a wonderful friend. Some things he lacks however, are height and strength, which are the usual requisites for his dream job: a firefighter! Although Hugo flounders during a very unimpressive firefighter audition, he triumphs when quickly scaling a tree to rescue a baby bird that no ladder can reach. Root has created a wonderful message for children who may not physically measure up by allowing them to acknowledge the things they cannot do, while encouraging them to persevere with the strengths and skills that they do have. This title might have an audience problem, however, as it jumps from single-sentence pages with accompanying illustrations appropriate for very young audience, to pages with two or three long and wordy sentences on a full-page illustration. For this reason, it may function best as a read-aloud. VERDICT This bright picture book has a great message and will make for an engaging read-aloud for young children.— Maria Alegre, The Dalton School, New York “In straightforward text peppered with gentle humor, debut author Root blends familiar childhood preoccupations with firefighting and feeling small…it makes a solid case for chasing dreams and leaving one’s comfort zone” - Publishers Weekly Hugo is a hamster. He’s a great cook, a fast runner, a slow eater, and a fantastic dancer. But what Hugo wants to be most of all is a firefighter. Hugo worries he’s much too small . . . but just because it may be difficult, it doesn’t mean that Hugo won’t try his hardest to achieve his dream. Andrew Root’s debut picture book is a sweet, funny tale that will delight the littlest readers, who know that being small can sometimes be the biggest advantage of all. Andrew Root is a debut author and a trained therapist, active in community mental health and the public education system in Portland, Oregon. Andrew works as the clinical manager of a therapeutic school serving youth and adolescents with a variety of behavioral and mental health needs. His experiences working with children have led him to realize the importance a good book can have both socially and academically. Andrew enjoys playing soccer and chasing his wife, two kids, and dog around his backyard. Jessica Olien is a writer, illustrator, and native midwesterner now living in Brooklyn. Her cartoons have been published by the New Yorker and her writing for grown-ups has been published in Slate , the Atlantic , McSweeney’s , Marie Claire , and many others. She is the author and illustrator of Shark Detective!, The Blobfish Book , Adrift , Right Now, and When a Tiger Comes to Dinner . Visit her at www.jessicaolien.com.