But that's okay because Betty Birney has a series about Humphrey the hamster that is very likely better than anything I could produce.
The World According to Humphrey is about a hamster who is in the care of the class in Room 26. For the most part, the children love him and take good care of him.
He has a few tricks up his (non-existent) sleeve, such as being able to open his cage door even when it appears to be locked.
He never really gets into trouble, but some of his exploits do make the humans pause to wonder once in a while.
Humphrey can't really talk to the humans, but Birney's clever style makes it seem like he can.
I really appreciated the lack of nasty language and potty talk in this book. There are only a few brief, tactful references to Humphrey's poo corner and the cleaning of it.
The only quibble I have with the story is that Humphrey squeaks - apparently loud enough for humans to hear - much more often than a real hamster does. We owned hamsters when we were kids, and our daughter owned several while still at home. The only time any of them ever made a sound was when they were hurting. Even then, it was only a brief noise. All that said, there wouldn't be much of a story here if the hamster wasn't allowed to squeak to the humans as often as he does.
I assume that the other books in this series (and I would read more, if I didn't have so many other series I want to get to) are as well-written as this first one. I heartily recommend it to all youngsters. It would make a good series for parents to read to their children too.
