Help Me Find My Hamster!

by Brooke Hartman, Anna Süßbauer (illustrator)

Genres: Picture Books, Humor, Animals, Childrens, Storytime

32 pages, Hardcover

Published October 21, 2025

About the author

Brooke Hartman is an Alaskan mom and award-winning author of books for children. When she isn’t writing, you can find her flying, fishing, and having fun with her family, enjoying all the magic life has to offer.

Follow her writing adventures at BrookeAHartman.com, or on Instagram and Facebook @BrookesBooksAK.

Reviews

[Beth · Rating 4 out of 5]

HILAROUS

[Sarah Thang · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's meant to be cutesy and humorous, and I can see how the general style would appeal, but to me the execution (writing) just doesn't get there.

"you're still here? I thought you were going to die. But don't worry. When we find my hamster, you will die... of adorable overload! Do you like going to the hospital? Well, too bad, because you're about to suffer a hamster heart attack!"

[Terresa Wellborn · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fresh take on hunting for your lost hamster...but discovering other animals along the way. I like the clever way the author folded facts into the telling of the story. Bonus: would be easy to shorten in order to share in a large group format in a library or classroom storytime. Win/win!

Themes: animals (hamsters), humor
Ages: preK-2nd grade
Pub year: 2025

[Andrew · Rating 5 out of 5]

There is so much adorable, fuzzy cuteness crammed into this book! A modern Brown Bear, Brown Bear, you will come across many animals while looking for the narrator's beloved hamster. A great read-aloud story!

[Alyssa Gudenburr · Rating 5 out of 5]

A really cute animal guessing book. You are looking for a missing hamster and each page has a closeup of an animal that MIGHT be a hamster, but most of them are other animals. You could summarize each page and skip the mountain lion that talks about dying and use it for storytime.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute and interactive book in which the narrator has lost his hamster and needs the reader's help finding it. With each different characteristic, we think we've found the hamster, only to be surprised. This is a fun group read aloud for kids on the older side (4+).

[Erin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Tries too hard to be funny and ultimately left me disinterested. I can see there would be kids who would like this book if the reader presented it especially dramatically. Maybe it's the over use of exclamation points!!!!! This can get exhausting after a while!!!!!!! You know what I mean?!?!?!

[Dolores · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adorable, interactive and a fantastic read-aloud.

[Rachel · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun interactive book about finding a hamster. The narrator thinks certain body parts are their hamster, but then it's another animal. Silly read aloud for older kids

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

So fun and silly! Would love to try this with an elementary class visit

[Taylor Kundel-Gower · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5

[Chrissy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Storytime: Pets, Interactive Books

[Y.Poston]

cute

[Jaime · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny. Kept me on my toes.

[Miss Janis the Storytime Lady · Rating 3 out of 5]

too long for a young group, but would work for olders. plenty of silliness.

[Starbubbles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a cute book with nice illustrations and some interactive parts between the narrator and the audience. However, it was really long for O and he had trouble staying interested in the story.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

There are a lot of wrong guesses in the quest to find this hamster.

[Kirsten Murphy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun twist on looking for a lost pet with connections to some other unexpected animals who make surprise cameo appearances through the story.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a fun interactive book! There is a little bit of potty humor (the narrator talks about a bear's tushy) in case you want to avoid that kind of content.