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Summary
Summary
Henry and Pell have plenty of determination and courage. Never mind that they're just a couple of hamsters. They're hamsters with a mission--they found a feather and need to return it to the seagull that lost it. Nothing they encounter along the way will stop them. Not giant sand dunes. Not cranky crabs. Not even the big scary seagull himself!
Ellen Stoll Walsh's gently suspenseful story about perseverance includes a fun seek-and-find shell game at the end of the book.
Author Notes
ELLEN STOLL WALSH is the author and illustrator of many award-winning early concept books for young children, including Mouse Paint, Mouse Count, and the Dot and Jabber trilogy. She lives near Rochester, New York.
Reviews (4)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-This tale lacks the simplicity and tight plotting that have made Walsh's previous books so successful. Pell and Henry find a seagull feather and decide to return it. Their trip to find the owner leads them along the seashore where they have a series of short adventures and meet some seaside dwellers. Finally, they reach the bird, who thanks them for the return of his now-broken feather and gives them plumes of their own. After playing with them, they decide to find their way home. The meandering plot, while extremely childlike, lacks momentum, some of the phrasing is awkward, and the ending is abrupt. The final page includes a picture of shells and the question: "Can you find these shells in Henry and Pell's story?," implying a search-and-find game, which may be the only motivation for repeated readings. Walsh's appealing hamsters and the backgrounds in her signature cut-paper collages are easy on the eye, yet curiously static. The bright colors, interesting textures, and speckled rocks are pleasing to look at, and readers will learn about seaside animals along the way. Unfortunately, the story feels overburdened and is less than satisfying.-Amy Lilien-Harper, The Ferguson Library, Stamford, CT (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
With a scientific premise similar to her Dot & Jabber books, Walsh turns from mice to hamsters here, as her spry cut-paper collage art introduces Henry and Pell. The two earnest, engaging and bright-eyed hamsters find a feather on the beach and set out to find the seagull whom they believe has lost it. En route, they encounter a hermit crab who, when asked if he has seen the seagull, replies, ?I try not to see him.... Seagulls eat hermit crabs.? Cautious Pell worries that seagulls might also eat hamsters, but Henry assures him that that isn?t apt to happen ?if we?re nice enough to bring back his feather!? After an encounter with a fiddler crab, the resolute rodents finally find the seagull (and Pell tells the bird that ?we don?t taste good?). Walsh plays with perspective, showing the gull?s webbed feet first, and making the most of the beach?s textures and colors. The gracious gull thanks them for the feather, yet explains that he no longer needs it, since he grows new feathers when old ones fall out. With that, the hamster pals decide to find their way home. And readers too have something to find: the final page contains pictures of eight seashells and the challenge to spot them on the prior pages. Kids will happily return to this warmly humorous story to do just that. Ages 3-7. (Sept.) Copyright 2005 Reed Business Information.
Horn Book Review
At the beach, two hamsters discover a seagull feather and decide to search for its owner. They meet a hermit crab and a fiddler crab before finally returning the bedraggled feather to the seagull, who praises them for their efforts. The uncluttered collage illustrations for this low-key adventure offer a pleasing hamster's-eye tour of the seashore. (c) Copyright 2010. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. All rights reserved.
Kirkus Review
Two male hamsters, Henry and Pell, find a feather during a visit to the beach. As they attempt to find the seagull who lost the feather, they meet a hermit crab and a fiddler crab. When the hamsters finally find the seagull, he explains that he can grow new feathers and he gives the hamsters some small feathers of their own to play with. The final page shows eight different kinds of shells that were included in the previous illustrations so young readers can go back to search for them. Walsh's characteristic cut-paper collage illustrations are appealing, as usual, and the story, though slight, has moments of humor and includes a few simple facts about the beach environment and the creatures the hamsters meet. (Picture book. 3-6) Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
