The Amazing Hamweenie
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5.0 • 3 Ratings
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- $7.99
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- $7.99
Publisher Description
A truly unique debut about a precocious cat with BIG dreams
Dressed in his signature top hat and black cape, Hamweenie is poised to earn his place among the most famous celebrities and daredevils of all time. From the stage to the red carpet, the skies to the sea, Hamweenie believes, without a doubt, that he will be the greatest star the world has ever seen.
The horrors of reality, alas, befall him: a beautiful apartment, a loving little girl, his every need fulfilled to excess. His treats are simply too delicious. His pillows? Beyond luxurious. Such torture! Hamweenie must escape! But with his wretchedly wonderful owner appearing at every turn, will he ever make it out of the apartment? From debut author and illustrator Patty Bowman comes a picture book about the secret life of cats and about dreaming big--no matter what your species.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Newcomer Bowman's spidery ink-and-watercolor drawings have a slightly offhand feeling, just right for her portrait of a narcissistic cat and his owner. She's a girl in a neat school uniform who pushes Hamweenie around in a perambulator and includes him in tea parties. But Hamweenie wants more: he "dreams of grandeur and stardom, of being loved the world over and idolized by children." (A parade float, admiring crowds, and a huge Macy's-style Hamweenie balloon give a general idea of the adulation Hamweenie is looking for.) Bowman uses the picture-versus-text device to emphasize the yawning chasm between Hamweenie's expectations and his actual circumstances. "His living conditions are atrocious," she writes, as Hamweenie lounges about reading a magazine called Hollywood Gossip and munching on a bag of Fishy Snacks. The setup seems to call for Hamweenie to escape and find the fame and fortune he wishes for or else, perhaps, to encounter humiliation and return to his perambulator but neither happens. It's just a description of the "agonizing abuse" of Hamweenie's day-to-day life. Still, cat owners will appreciate the all-too-accurate feline portrait. Ages 3 7.
Customer Reviews
Wonderfully charming book for all ages
This is an absolutely great book for a lot of fun. The illustrations are beautifully done with a but of witticism and depth that's lost on many "children's" books. My family is looking forward to hearing more about Hamweenie and seeing more from Patty Bowman.