Hanukkah Hamster by Markel Balderdash!
Synopsis:
The holiday season is a busy time, with people bustling about. And it’s a busy time for Edgar, a cabdriver who conveys passengers around the city. All day long Edgar drives his cab; many people going to many different places. At the end of one busy day, Edgar is so tired he climbs into the backseat of his cab to take a nap. But he discovers he is not alone. A little hamster has somehow been left behind from one of the many fares Edgar has driven. Edgar dutifully reports the hamster to the cab company’s Lost and Found department, but in the meantime the little creature needs to be taken care of. Edgar brings the hamster to his apartment, making it a bed, feeding it, and even giving it a name, Chickpea. As Edgar starts his Hanukah observance, with no family nearby to share in it, the little hamster becomes more than a casual companion to the lonely man. But what happens when Chickpea’s owner is found?
Review:
Plainspoken storytelling by Markel (Balderdash!) offers emotional depth, as do pictures by Ceolin (Yom Kippur’s Shortstop), which combine crisp shapes and velvety textures. While lightly anthropomorphized Chickpea is adorable, it’s Edgar who will quickly win readers sympathies, and the everybody wins ending feels just right. –Publisher’s Weekly
Hanukkah blessings abound when Edgar, a lonely taxi driver, discovers a lost hamster in the back of his cab and finds in it an unlikely friend. Softly falling snow and the warm candlelight of the menorah paint a tranquil picture; Edgar opens his heart, sharing treasured memories of his home in Tel Aviv, Israel, while searching for the missing pet’s owner. This is a charming holiday tale about family, friendship, joy, and gratitude. –Foreword Reviews
An utterly charming picture book story for children ages 5 to 7, and one that is unreservedly recommended for family, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections, it should be noted for young readers that “Hanukkah Hamster” is also available in a digital book format. —Midwest Book Review Ms. Markel’s prose is simple and sweet and down-to-earth. It is also perfectly-paced to keep readers turning the page. Artist Andre Ceolin’s illustrations are soft and dreamy, and capture both the bustle of the holidays and the singleness of living alone far from friends, family and familiar memories –The Picture Book Blog
