Hot Rod Hamster (review)

Abstract

Reviewed by: Hot Rod Hamster Deborah Stevenson Lord, Cynthia . Hot Rod Hamster; illus. by Derek Anderson. Scholastic, 201038p ISBN 978-0-545-03530-9$16.99 R 4-7 yrs An ambitious hamster prepares himself for an upcoming hot-rod race, starting with that most important of elements: the hot rod. At the junkyard, he selects a hamster-sized chassis, new tires and wheels ("I want to burn rubber!"), an engine, and, of course, a flame decal for the front. Then he's off to the races, competing with daredevil dogs in their comparatively huge rides, but it's the Hamster Hot Rod that earns the checkered flag and trophies. The story is a little unfocused, bouncing between rhymed narrative and speech-bubble dialogue, car prep and car race, but it's got a pleasingly pulsating urgency running through it, especially in the hamster's excited exclamations. The notion of putting a car together from junkyard parts and then darting ahead of the much bigger favorites to hit the finish line first is serious fantasy fodder, and the opportunity to contemplate the various automotive possibilities ("Which would you choose?" the text invitingly inquires at each step) just [End Page 387] ramps up the daydreaming. Illustratively, our tiny hero steals the show as well as the race; his guileless glee and manic zeal are comic and irresistible (a hamster miming a firm grasp on an invisible steering wheel proves to be a hilarious as well as novel sight), and it's understandable that he's won the loyalty of the bulldog junkyard proprietor and his ratty assistants. The robust solidity and touch of whimsy in the acrylic art gives the cartoonish style an endearing resemblance to the stop-motion animation work of Nick Park (creator of Wallace and Gromit); the compositions niftily employ perspectives that emphasize the size differences and deftly manage to keep the energy level high and the colors loud without descending into cacophony. Go, Dog, Go! is going down. Copyright © 2010 The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois