My Humongous Hamster

by Lorna Freytag

Whether taking a spin on the Ferris wheel, stopping a burglary in progress, napping at the foot of a mountain, or gazing longingly off into a sunset, Humongous Hamster is a hero every kid will adore. He eats trees like broccoli, gives kids a ride to the park, and scares the neighbor’s cat. He is so silly that he's completely irresistible. In the end, though, he misses his human friend. So he will return to normal hamster size . . . until the next time he's humongously hungry!

Genres: Picture Books, Pets, Animals, Childrens, Storytime, Humor, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2012

Reviews

[Petra Waging war on feral fowl via mozzie screens]

A question. Are hamsters prone to binge-eating or is this becoming an urban myth? I'm on a bit of a hamster kick right now. I just read Tiny Hamster Is a Giant Monster which is sort of Dogzilla meets King Kong and they all get shafted by Hamsterosaurus, or something. So I got this book.

The premise is the same as Tiny Hamster. Hamsters that eat too much which makes them grow bigger than building-size and see what happens. Tiny Hamster has a real story and is beautifully illustrated with photo montages. This book is kind of thoughts on what a humongous hamster might do, the funniest thing was playing inside a Ferris wheel like a hamster wheel. Bet that didn't make you laugh out loud. Me neither. The photographs were not top quality and the situations which were illustrated with cartoonish drawings only added to the idea that very little thought had gone into the book.

The ending offended me. It was a hamster dreaming of being back in his home, an extremely small cage with a hutch and wheel after being free. Who dreams of imprisonment? That really put him in his place (and the author in hers).

1.5 stars rounded up because the hamster pic is adorable.

[Edward Sullivan]

Fans of Dav Pilkey's Dogzilla and Kat Kong will enjoy this one.

[raccoon reader]

It's cute in the way that anytime you shove a small furry wide eyed rodent into an abnormal setting, it's cute. (See https://www.amazon.com/Secret-Life-Sq... for a shining example.)

Other than show off a few interesting photography skills it doesn't bring a lot to the picture book table. Not that it has to! Not every picture book needs to hold some magical parent to kid secret between its pages. Sometimes it can just be weird. Just be art for the sake of hamster pet art. My kid thought it was weird, but liked it. So it's somewhere between the two or three stars for us.

[Lara]

Nothing particularly exceptional in the story itself, but I do have a weakness for hamsters and found the illustrations a hoot.

[Nanny B]

Fun story with photoshopped illustrations.

[Barbara]

Relying on up close photographs of an adorable hamster, the author of this picture book imagines what might happen if the little creature ate so much and so fast that he no longer fit in his cage. The photos of the hamster having fun on the Ferris wheel, munching on trees, surveying the cityscape, and trying to find a place to sleep are funny. But in the end, despite all those outdoor adventures the hamster would be having, the narrator is sure he will return home since he misses his human companion. Even the endpapers contain photos of this roly-poly hamster sitting contentedly and looking straight ahead. Most young readers will get a kick out of seeing what happens when he suddenly becomes larger than life. Isn't that a fantasy that many of us have had about our pets?

[S]

While this is a really cute hamster book, I wish that the cage (and it is a cage, not a house) was of an acceptable size for hamsters.

Golden hamsters, such as the one portrayed in My Humongous Hamster grow to be at least 5-6 inches long and need space to move around. The cages sold in stores and advertised as "for hamsters" are actually very cruel to our fuzzy little friends. Just think, how would you like to live in a 8ft by 6ft room, with just your bed and a table for the rest of your life? It wouldn't be very fun, would it?

So, cute book, but it implies (I know it doesn't say anything outright, but that's the point here) bad information about hamster housing.

[Kelsey]

Age: Preschool
Animals: Pet hamster

A great representation of the word "humongous" with no hyperbole here. That hamster is BIG. Sure the storyline doesn't make much sense because it is purely based on a "what-if" situation but the photographs make it seem so real! What if your hamster kept eating and eating until he became humongous?!

[Mary]

This is a fun book for children who have hamsters as pets or who just like silly things. The imagination of the narrator is contagious as the reader discovers many of the the things that could happen if a hamster were to grow to unbelievable size. The images are large and colorful, which makes it a fun book to read aloud.

[Sharyn Craft]

The book was not what I was expecting. I thought it would be a story of a humongous hamster. No. It is about a boy who says that if he overfed his hamster, it would get too big to live in his house, too big to play in his wheel, etc. That's the whole book. Not very long and not very entertaining.

[Sandra]

Hamster is brought to school for today's show and tell. While left in the lockers he proceeds to eat everything in sight including everyone's lunch. He becomes gigantic and takes part in the kid's activities throughout the day including dance class. But by the time it's time to go home will he still be gigantic or will his day end peacefully? Silliness is this story's assignment.

[Mel Leigh]

I'm giving this book 4 stars instead of 3 simply because I found this book so humorous and entertaining. I found myself laughing at the pictures and very very amusing. The idea of a giant- oh sorry, I mean- HUMONGOUS hamster being angry is hilarious. The picture with the cute angry eyes was a great add on. Great job!

[Robin]

Pulled this one from a box of newly arrived picture books and I think it's really inspired. Using photos for illustrations, the narrator challenges us to think about what would happen if a hamster got really, really big!

[Emily Matview]

This book is really similar to Dav Pilkey's Kat Kong and Dogzilla. Same use of actual animal photographs blown up and inserted in a background that makes them appear larger than in real life. It's a quick read but has a few cute pages.

[Nora]

What would happen if your hamster ate so much that he grew humongous? He could run in a ferris wheel and eat trees like broccolis~! But what if he missed you, so he grew small again? Then he could live in his house and play with you.

[Penny Ramirez]

Darling photos and a fun storyline. I'll share this with the younger set!

[Beth]

I loved the use of scale in the photographs of the hamster to make him appear humongous. Very clever.

[Rachel]

Interesting altered photo illustrations. Some of the text word choices and placement are awkward. But a great connection to using your imagination.

[Cemeread]

A child imagines what would happen if his hamster ate his whole bowl of food in one gulp. Digitally altered photos of a hamster and people are used to illustrate the book.

[Tracy]

I want to squeeze this adorable, huge hamster! I think my niece will get a kick out of seeing a giant hamster looming over a city and giving kids a ride on his back. Love it!

[Heydi Smith]

Wonderful pictures and great story. Definitely a fun one for storytime.

[Lynn]

I was ridiculously amused by this book. So cute!

[Josiah]

It sucked so bad

[Sharon]

Photo essay on the ramifications of being a humongous hamster.

[Jodie]

The narrator wonders what it would be like if the pet hamster ate so much it would not fit in its cage anymore. There would be both good and bad things with a humongous hamster.

[Sara]

Another entry into my GIGANTIC animals story time. I think I'm going to have to actually do it.

[Colleen]

This is a great story to read with 1st/2nd graders. It just silly and fun.

[Gary]

What an adorable book! The kids loved the humongous hamster and were fascinated by it.

[Celest]

Cute, but not the most creative children's book out there.

[Kathryn]

Upon second reading 2023 give it a 5