cover image Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania!

Hot Rod Hamster: Monster Truck Mania!

Cynthia Lord, illus. by Derek Anderson. Scholastic Press, $16.99 (40p) ISBN 978-0-545-46261-7

Hot Rod Hamster’s need for speed is still going strong, and he and his friends indulge it by trying out several rides at the fair while waiting for the monster truck show to begin. As in the previous two Hot Rod Hamster books, Lord invites reader participation through her rhymes (“Sports car, race car, fun in outer space car./ Cop car, mail car, make the siren wail car./ Which would you choose?”). Anderson’s brash acrylics play up the comedy of a tiny orange fuzzball like Hamster being such an adrenaline junkie—especially when he saves the day by filling in for the monster truck driver at the main event. Ages 3–5. Author’s agency: Adams Literary. (Apr.)