cover image This Little Hamster

This Little Hamster

Kass Reich. Orca, $9.95 (24p) ISBN 978-1-45980-410-4

Reich moves from counting to colors in this follow-up to Hamsters Holding Hands. Set against pale backdrops that correspond to 10 colors, the smiley, dumplinglike hamsters proudly display objects in their favorite hues (“These little hamsters love everything red/ They have a hat, a cherry and a spool of thread”). Once again, the hamsters’ abundant enthusiasm and Reich’s humorous penchant for unexpected props (the green-obsessed hamster has “a prize-winning pepper and a bubble machine”) are a winning combination. Up to age 3. (Oct.)