What do you think?
Rate this book
According to Humphrey #1
The World According to Humphrey
The first book in the series about everyone's favorite classroom pet!
You can learn a lot about life by observing another species. That’s what Humphrey was told when he was first brought to Room 26. And boy, is it true! In addition to having FUN-FUN-FUN in class, each weekend this amazing hamster gets to sleep over with a different student, like Lower-Your-Voice-A.J. and Speak-Up-Sayeh. Soon Humphrey learns to read, write, and even shoot rubber bands (only in self-defense, of course). With lots of friends to help, adventures to enjoy, and a cage with a lock-that-doesn’t- lock, Humphrey's life is almost perfect. If only the teacher, Mrs. Brisbane, wasn’t out to get him!
Boys and girls can't help falling in love with Humphrey!
You can learn a lot about life by observing another species. That’s what Humphrey was told when he was first brought to Room 26. And boy, is it true! In addition to having FUN-FUN-FUN in class, each weekend this amazing hamster gets to sleep over with a different student, like Lower-Your-Voice-A.J. and Speak-Up-Sayeh. Soon Humphrey learns to read, write, and even shoot rubber bands (only in self-defense, of course). With lots of friends to help, adventures to enjoy, and a cage with a lock-that-doesn’t- lock, Humphrey's life is almost perfect. If only the teacher, Mrs. Brisbane, wasn’t out to get him!
Boys and girls can't help falling in love with Humphrey!
144 pages, Paperback
First published February 2, 2004
803 people are currently reading
3152 people want to read
About the author
Betty G. Birney
136 books184 followersFrom kindergarten through graduation, I attended school in Affton, Missouri, a suburb of St. Louis. Then I graduated from Webster College (now Webster University) in Webster Groves, Missouri. Of course, I majored in English and kept on writing.
After working in advertising in St. Louis, Missouri and in Chicago, Illinois, I eventually moved to Southern California. First, I worked for Disneyland (fun job!) in the advertising department. The monorail whizzed past my window all day long. Then I worked at the Disney Studio in Burbank, where I had another fun job, writing and producing television and radio commercials and theatrical trailers (previews of coming attractions) for everything from re-releases of "Cinderella" and "Fantasia" to "Tex."
When the Disney Channel was started, I became a writer and story editor for WELCOME TO POOH CORNER. Since then, I've written more than 200 episodes of animated and live-action television programs including MADELINE, DOUG, BOBBY'S WORLD, DUMBO'S CIRCUS, THE PUZZLE PLACE, CAMP CANDY, LITTLE MOUSE ON THE PRAIRIE, WHERE'S WALDO, FRAGGLE ROCK and ZOOBILEE ZOO. That's right, I write cartoons! I also wrote a number of award-winning afterschool specials and many interactive CD-ROM programs, including the award-winning "Berenstain Bears on their Own," "Richard Scarry's Busiest Neighborhood Ever," and "The Crayon Factory."
A made-for-television family movie I wrote, MARY CHRISTMAS, starring John Schneider, Cynthia Gibb and Tom Bosley, aired on the PAX network in 2002. It was the highest rated movie in PAX history and has aired each Christmas season since then.
I have been fortunate enough to win a Writer's Guild of America Award and three Humanitas Prizes (as well as two other nominations). In 2002, I won a Daytime Emmy Award for MADELINE, after two previous Emmy nominations. More recently, I received the Christopher Award for FRIENDSHIP ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY, many children's choice awards for THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY and was inducted into the Affton (MO) School District Hall of Fame.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 950 reviews
February 13, 2018
Books like this deserve a five stars in my world, because although they are simple and nothing too exciting really happens in them, I really appreciate that it is a cute, early chapter book that young, advanced readers can enjoy. No language or bad attitudes here! Just fun, wholesome reading that any elementary reader could enjoy. I read this out loud to my first grader and she adored it. She is so happy that there are many more books in the series.
January 19, 2021
I was skeptical about this book at first. Normally, I'm not into the personified pet story but I set out to try The World According to Humphrey after discovering it as a recommendation in the new 2020 Sonlight Curriculum Kindergarten core. It was worth the read. I read it alone to preview it, although I think my kindergarten son will enough it. I look forward to revisiting Humphrey and perhaps continuing his adventures. I borrowed this from #libbyapp on my Kindle, and definitely want to own it.
Go figure that I wrote this original review through the Kindle and it published to Amazon but not to Goodreads. I'm highly entertained by all the educational tidbits that are included throughout the book from nocturnal animals to learning all the capitals of the United States, states of matter, subtracting fractions, Mount McKinley (tallest mountain peak in the US!), Brazil on a map, holidays and traditions such as Hanukkah and Halloween, and so much more. Memories of the eagerness to erase a chalkboard and the cool top of a desktop against my cheek, as well as the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil.
My loan has already gone back to #libbyapp but I really enjoyed reading The World According to Humphrey and for that matter, I also enjoyed Lulu and the Dog from the Sea on #kindleunlimited. Both books are on the new read-aloud list for @sonlightcurriculum #sonlightkindergarten 2020. 📚💗 Both are books I look forward to reading again with my son this year and I hope to own soon.
The World According to Humphrey is silly and imaginative and gives a glimpse into a classroom. I actually wouldn't hesitate to read more Humphrey books in the series.
5/5/2020 Update: I purchased a paperback copy.
Go figure that I wrote this original review through the Kindle and it published to Amazon but not to Goodreads. I'm highly entertained by all the educational tidbits that are included throughout the book from nocturnal animals to learning all the capitals of the United States, states of matter, subtracting fractions, Mount McKinley (tallest mountain peak in the US!), Brazil on a map, holidays and traditions such as Hanukkah and Halloween, and so much more. Memories of the eagerness to erase a chalkboard and the cool top of a desktop against my cheek, as well as the smell of a freshly sharpened pencil.
My loan has already gone back to #libbyapp but I really enjoyed reading The World According to Humphrey and for that matter, I also enjoyed Lulu and the Dog from the Sea on #kindleunlimited. Both books are on the new read-aloud list for @sonlightcurriculum #sonlightkindergarten 2020. 📚💗 Both are books I look forward to reading again with my son this year and I hope to own soon.
The World According to Humphrey is silly and imaginative and gives a glimpse into a classroom. I actually wouldn't hesitate to read more Humphrey books in the series.
5/5/2020 Update: I purchased a paperback copy.
March 25, 2013
My 5 year old nephew, in kindergarten, received this book through his elementary school (grades K-2) that is launching a new school program called One School, One book, where every family receives a copy of the same book and are recommended to read a chapter a day for the entire month. This book is a chapter book with no pictures and it was the first time reading a book like this to my nephew. I LOVED this book! Though, I'm not so sure if my nephew shares the same enthusiasm for this book as I do. He, at times, was bored and even said so and would want the chapters to hurry along but there were also many moments where he was attentive and interested, asked questions and made appropriate comments. I do think his lack of attentive listening at times is partially cause he is not used to being read long chapter books like this. I found this book completely intriguing and I couldn't wait to find out what happened next after each chapter ended! I fell in love so much with this story and Humphrey I didn't want to leave this book behind when it was finished but, apparently, there are a lot more books written by the author with this main character! I think it's an absolute great book for young kids to read or be read to. It encourages a child to use their imagination and has good lessons and messages. The end of this book has also a lot of fun details like questions for readers, activity pages, notes from Humphrey and a letter to the reader written by the author. I enjoyed reading it to my nephew and I love this idea his school is introducing. I plan to continue to read more chapter books like this to him whether his school plans to continue this program or not!
August 27, 2014
What a delightful read!
Humphrey is a kind, open-minded hamster who makes friends easily. He is fiercely loyal and quick to go out of his way to lend a helping hand - or paw, as Humphrey would say!
Through this first-person narrative from the perspective of a classroom pet, young readers will see that first impressions are not always accurate; that people are multifaceted, and you can't really understand a person until you see all aspects of his/her life; that sometimes, when people have problems, it takes an outsider - like Humphrey! - to open their eyes to a solution.
I love that this book is multicultural and inclusive. There are all sorts of ethnic-sounding names - Art Patel, Sayeh Nasiri (whose mother doesn't speak English well), Aldo Amato - and there's even a physically handicapped character. It's just nice to see diversity being matter-of-factly represented.
I think I alone would have given this book 4 stars, because I really liked it, but I didn't LOVE it. Still, since it was able to hold my first grader's interest - despite having no pictures - I think it's worth the extra star.
Overall, this book was a pleasant read with nothing objectionable to worry about. It's just the first in a series, and it'll be fun to see what other adventures and lessons are in store for Humphrey!
Humphrey is a kind, open-minded hamster who makes friends easily. He is fiercely loyal and quick to go out of his way to lend a helping hand - or paw, as Humphrey would say!
Through this first-person narrative from the perspective of a classroom pet, young readers will see that first impressions are not always accurate; that people are multifaceted, and you can't really understand a person until you see all aspects of his/her life; that sometimes, when people have problems, it takes an outsider - like Humphrey! - to open their eyes to a solution.
I love that this book is multicultural and inclusive. There are all sorts of ethnic-sounding names - Art Patel, Sayeh Nasiri (whose mother doesn't speak English well), Aldo Amato - and there's even a physically handicapped character. It's just nice to see diversity being matter-of-factly represented.
I think I alone would have given this book 4 stars, because I really liked it, but I didn't LOVE it. Still, since it was able to hold my first grader's interest - despite having no pictures - I think it's worth the extra star.
Overall, this book was a pleasant read with nothing objectionable to worry about. It's just the first in a series, and it'll be fun to see what other adventures and lessons are in store for Humphrey!
August 20, 2012
This is a great book. I really enjoyed reading it for a number of reasons. This book is written from the perspective of a hamster known as Humphrey who is a student in a class known as Room 26. Reading a book from a hamster’s perspective is unusual and I feel this would intrigue a pupil an interest and inspire the pupil to continue reading. At the same it is challenging for a reader to continually read from this perspective and would encourage a child to use their imagination in order to understand life seen through someone else’s eyes.
This book is set in a classroom and describes pupils and teachers and therefore easy for a student to associate with the context and identify with the activities and adventures which take place, further motivating them to read the book.
This book is also educational as it describes social skills, for example taking responsibility and looking after a living being. The pupils in the story are responsible for taking care of the hamster, they clean the cage and feed it. There are also rules which illustrate good manners, for example being polite and listening to instructions.
The appropriate age range for this book would be 7±.
This book is set in a classroom and describes pupils and teachers and therefore easy for a student to associate with the context and identify with the activities and adventures which take place, further motivating them to read the book.
This book is also educational as it describes social skills, for example taking responsibility and looking after a living being. The pupils in the story are responsible for taking care of the hamster, they clean the cage and feed it. There are also rules which illustrate good manners, for example being polite and listening to instructions.
The appropriate age range for this book would be 7±.
August 14, 2021
Fajna ta książka taka o niczym. Jeszcze moją ocenę utwierdziło zdanie "jeśli jest ci źle, to pomyśl, że ktoś ma gorzej". Strasznie toksyczne myślenie, dzieci nie powinny dorastać myśląc, że ich problemy nic nie znaczą.
January 2, 2018
A charming and delightful read to kick off my 2018 reading challenge! The Humphrey series has quite a few faithful borrowers among my library patrons, thus piquing my interest. Apparently book 1 was marked as Lost in my system, so I borrowed a copy from the public library, to see what the "fuss" was about, as I'd never heard of them.
I now see why these kiddos enjoy them so much! It's not a whole school following, just a good-sized circle of kids that simply adore these books.
The book follows a classroom hamster, Humphrey, as he spends his hours in the classroom, both during and after school, and his weekends off-campus with the students. His presence brings inspiration to those around him in a way that allllmost borders in cliche, but is just tender and sweet. Even Humphrey learns some lessons in the end. Kind of reminded me of Beverly Cleary's Ralph in some ways.
While I didn't feel like anything groundbreaking was done with this book, I feel glad it exists---wholesome, relatable, AGE-APPROPRIATE fiction in the midst of all of the sarcastic, snarky, and rough books popular today.
Definitely putting these on display when I get back from break.
**reading level is 4th grade, appropriate for any school age child on that level, or would make an excellent read-aloud for younger students.
I now see why these kiddos enjoy them so much! It's not a whole school following, just a good-sized circle of kids that simply adore these books.
The book follows a classroom hamster, Humphrey, as he spends his hours in the classroom, both during and after school, and his weekends off-campus with the students. His presence brings inspiration to those around him in a way that allllmost borders in cliche, but is just tender and sweet. Even Humphrey learns some lessons in the end. Kind of reminded me of Beverly Cleary's Ralph in some ways.
While I didn't feel like anything groundbreaking was done with this book, I feel glad it exists---wholesome, relatable, AGE-APPROPRIATE fiction in the midst of all of the sarcastic, snarky, and rough books popular today.
Definitely putting these on display when I get back from break.
**reading level is 4th grade, appropriate for any school age child on that level, or would make an excellent read-aloud for younger students.
July 17, 2022
Great series for kids 5-12! Highly recommend these books and the companion series about Og the Frog.
January 27, 2025
One liner : Wonderful MG book about everyone's favorite classroom pet
Synopsis: Humphrey the hamster is picked up from Pet-O-Rama by Ms. McNamara and she brings him to room no 26 in Longfellow school as a classroom pet ! Humphrey is loving his life in his cage seeing the kids learn and he is learning too. Ms. Mac gives him a small notebook and pencil and Humphrey learned to write as well!. Life is going so well for Humphrey but to his shock and dismay, Mrs. Brisbane is coming back to room no 26 as teacher after a long break and Ms. McNamara is leaving. Humphrey is sad and is not sure how his life is going to be as Mrs. Brisbane doesn't like him and wants to get rid of him. The story is told in the first person pov of Humphrey.
My thoughts: Such a wonderful mg fiction. Its simple, cute and even though nothing too exciting happens in the story, Humphrey makes sure to keep you hooked to the story. There are small lessons taught throughout the book without being too preachy. The story being told in Humphrey's voice made it even more interesting to read. Even thought the issues and solutions in the book seem too simple it's age appropriate for the young readers to appreciate. The book also emphasizes on taking on responsibilities. I loved reading this book
My rating - 4*
Synopsis: Humphrey the hamster is picked up from Pet-O-Rama by Ms. McNamara and she brings him to room no 26 in Longfellow school as a classroom pet ! Humphrey is loving his life in his cage seeing the kids learn and he is learning too. Ms. Mac gives him a small notebook and pencil and Humphrey learned to write as well!. Life is going so well for Humphrey but to his shock and dismay, Mrs. Brisbane is coming back to room no 26 as teacher after a long break and Ms. McNamara is leaving. Humphrey is sad and is not sure how his life is going to be as Mrs. Brisbane doesn't like him and wants to get rid of him. The story is told in the first person pov of Humphrey.
My thoughts: Such a wonderful mg fiction. Its simple, cute and even though nothing too exciting happens in the story, Humphrey makes sure to keep you hooked to the story. There are small lessons taught throughout the book without being too preachy. The story being told in Humphrey's voice made it even more interesting to read. Even thought the issues and solutions in the book seem too simple it's age appropriate for the young readers to appreciate. The book also emphasizes on taking on responsibilities. I loved reading this book
My rating - 4*
February 7, 2023
This is a cute book about a little hamster named Humphrey. He is very curious and gets excited about many things. He also loves keeping secrets. I cannot wait to read the rest of this series.
October 4, 2024
Adorable. My 7 yo loves this series, and my 9 yo and I enjoy them, too.
October 13, 2023
I read this book (plus a few other books of Humphrey) to my first and second grade class last year. They could not get enough of this character and all of his fun adventures. The book (series) are written very well with lots of personality from each character. The characters are relatable and overall a great series for kids.
June 3, 2024
It was delightful going down nostalgia road with this book. I had forgotten how funny these books can be. I feel inclined to reread the whole series now!
January 12, 2020
This is a fantastic read aloud. The story was wonderful and enjoyable for all ages. I loved the nuanced lessons, focus on problem solving, and the connections Humphrey made about the people in the book. A truly lovely series we cannot wait to continue reading.
September 19, 2022
I went in expecting a cutesy early-elementary read, which is certainly what this book sets out to be. Humphrey and his various friends and adventures are engaging and reminiscent of Beverly Cleary's Ralph the Mouse character (probably Stuart Little, too... all the intelligent rodent characters). My objections are twofold. First, all the adults around Humphrey are bumbling and struggling and the children need help, too, while this hamster, who seemingly can do no wrong, is cast as a sort of savior character without whom they cannot overcome their obstacles. (I also don't love this trend of "according to..." titles as they seem a bit flippant toward the formal names of the gospels ["According to Matthew," etc.]; however, this is more of a personal opinion, and I can understand how someone might not mean such a thing disrespectfully.)
Secondly, and perhaps more shockingly, the following scenario occurs: during a weekend home with one student's family, Humphrey restores order by secretly disconnecting their TV, forcing the family to spend unplugged quality time together. So far so good, right? However, after sending their kids outside to play, the parents essentially ask Humphrey if he minds... being left alone for a while. If this were an adult book, whatever, thanks for being oblique, I guess; but given that this book is aimed at children, 1) the reference is completely inappropriate and 2) totally unnecessary and pointless since it *should* go over kids' heads anyway. If your child asks what's going on in this scene, good luck having a talk that shouldn't have to come till much, much later...
Secondly, and perhaps more shockingly, the following scenario occurs: during a weekend home with one student's family, Humphrey restores order by secretly disconnecting their TV, forcing the family to spend unplugged quality time together. So far so good, right? However, after sending their kids outside to play, the parents essentially ask Humphrey if he minds... being left alone for a while. If this were an adult book, whatever, thanks for being oblique, I guess; but given that this book is aimed at children, 1) the reference is completely inappropriate and 2) totally unnecessary and pointless since it *should* go over kids' heads anyway. If your child asks what's going on in this scene, good luck having a talk that shouldn't have to come till much, much later...
September 20, 2010
First in a series of six books by author Betty Birney, The World According to Humphrey is a very cute story told from the perspective of a hamster. I listened to the audiobook version of this with my son. Humphrey begins his story with Mrs. Mack and a classroom of children who love him. When Mrs. Mack picks him up at the pet store she tells him that he “can learn a lot about yourself by taking care of another species and you’ll teach those children a thing or two.” So when a substitute teacher Mrs. Brisbain is called in she has Humphrey spend a night with each of the children. Humphrey really does learn a lot and helps to solve the problems of the people around him. Each chapter includes hamster care tips which do not detract from the story and some are quite humorous. A wonderful series for children ages 7 to 11 who enjoy stories centering on animals.
October 16, 2012
144 pages
by Betty G. Birney
The World According to Humphrey is the first in the Humphrey series. Humphrey is the classroom hamster in Room 26, Mrs. Brisbane's room, at Longfellow School. He is a very smart hamster! He was brought to school by Mrs. Mac, a substitute for Mrs. Brisbane one day. ms. Mac gave him a tiny notebook and pencil before she left. Throughout the book, Humphrey helps different students in Mrs. Brisbane's class (like Speak-Up-Sayeh) when they take him home for the weekend.
I loved this book! I would recommend it to kids 8 years old or older. It has a very funny and somewhat mysterious element to it. I loved how Humphrey is talking in first person and how well he describes everything! This is DEFINITELY one of my favorite books!!
by Betty G. Birney
The World According to Humphrey is the first in the Humphrey series. Humphrey is the classroom hamster in Room 26, Mrs. Brisbane's room, at Longfellow School. He is a very smart hamster! He was brought to school by Mrs. Mac, a substitute for Mrs. Brisbane one day. ms. Mac gave him a tiny notebook and pencil before she left. Throughout the book, Humphrey helps different students in Mrs. Brisbane's class (like Speak-Up-Sayeh) when they take him home for the weekend.
I loved this book! I would recommend it to kids 8 years old or older. It has a very funny and somewhat mysterious element to it. I loved how Humphrey is talking in first person and how well he describes everything! This is DEFINITELY one of my favorite books!!
March 16, 2014
This book I can tell was written for younger ages but I still enjoyed it. I thought it was cute and I liked it! Humphrey is a hamster who is smart and helps people who he cares about. His pet owner (teacher) moves to a different school and leaves him there with a new teacher which Humphrey does not like. He has experiences with the students and a janitor. It was a good book and I would recommend it to younger kids. If you have a younger sibling or a cousin this would be a great book to read to them!
October 19, 2016
"....never turn your back on a dog....turn off your tv once in a while....kids have problems and so do teachers and principals. Sometime all people need is a little encouragement." What more could you hope to learn from a hamster? Would be a fun book to read with/to younger children and as it's the first in a series it could help promote an interest in reading. (Also seems likely to promote an interest in getting a pet hamster haha)
September 21, 2019
My students adore this cute hamster!!!..and have begged me to read it every day!!!...so we are on to the next!!!
September 6, 2021
Unsqueakably not my jam, but it made the kid happy. He is addicted. If I have to suffer through these, I'm at least getting Good Reads credit!
December 28, 2014
The World According to Humphrey is a heart-warming tale that I only recommend to those who are prepared to seriously consider hamster ownership. Humphrey is the class pet of Room 26, and he is the most intelligent and handsome hamster around. The story begins with Humphrey in crisis; the current teacher in Room 26, who bought Humphrey and took him home every night, was actually a long-term sub for Mrs. Brisbane. Mrs. Brisbane is returning after a prolonged absence, and Ms. Mac (the sub), is now leaving for Brasil. Humphrey is shocked to learn he will be staying on in Room 26 without her.
Humphrey's point of view, (you can learn a lot by caring for another species) is by turns humorous and helpful, as he strives to fix human issues whenever encountered. This book does a great job of capturing the day to day life of a public school classroom, and excels at portraying the nexus of school and personal life for both students, teachers, and even principals. This is a quick read that I think can be read aloud to anyone starting with 1st grade, but would still be relevant for the 4-5th grade set.
The spoilers below are character notes for our OBOB team.
Humphrey's point of view, (you can learn a lot by caring for another species) is by turns humorous and helpful, as he strives to fix human issues whenever encountered. This book does a great job of capturing the day to day life of a public school classroom, and excels at portraying the nexus of school and personal life for both students, teachers, and even principals. This is a quick read that I think can be read aloud to anyone starting with 1st grade, but would still be relevant for the 4-5th grade set.
The spoilers below are character notes for our OBOB team.
April 9, 2020
So many of the elementary and middle grade books that I read fall short of being a great book for one reason or another, but this one totally surprised me by being funny and charming, while also having depth without being heavy-handed on grief/death/abuse factors.
My 8 year old got it as a birthday present nearly a year ago, and we just got around to reading it now that we are home (a lot) more with the global virus that's shutting down everything. Can't complain about having more time to read with my girls.
Humphrey is a classroom hamster who goes home with different kids each weekend to be cared for, but at each place he learns something and helps the family or kids with some challenge they are facing. One girl is shy and won't speak up in class because her family doesn't speak English; when Humphrey visits her home, he listens patiently while the parents practice English with him. Another little boy is always shouting in class; when Humphrey visits his home, he sees a whole family in chaos shouting and arguing over the television. So, he cleverly sneaks out and unplugs the cord, which leaves the family shocked and dismayed, but then they start pulling out card games and footballs and enjoy the weekend together. He helps the night custodian find a girlfriend and even manages to win over grumpy Mrs. Brisbane.
It's not realistic - of course hamsters don't write vocabulary words down - but it's clever enough to keep you entertained and uplifted. The girls (ages 8 & 11) and I loved it.
My 8 year old got it as a birthday present nearly a year ago, and we just got around to reading it now that we are home (a lot) more with the global virus that's shutting down everything. Can't complain about having more time to read with my girls.
Humphrey is a classroom hamster who goes home with different kids each weekend to be cared for, but at each place he learns something and helps the family or kids with some challenge they are facing. One girl is shy and won't speak up in class because her family doesn't speak English; when Humphrey visits her home, he listens patiently while the parents practice English with him. Another little boy is always shouting in class; when Humphrey visits his home, he sees a whole family in chaos shouting and arguing over the television. So, he cleverly sneaks out and unplugs the cord, which leaves the family shocked and dismayed, but then they start pulling out card games and footballs and enjoy the weekend together. He helps the night custodian find a girlfriend and even manages to win over grumpy Mrs. Brisbane.
It's not realistic - of course hamsters don't write vocabulary words down - but it's clever enough to keep you entertained and uplifted. The girls (ages 8 & 11) and I loved it.
September 28, 2020
*Read for the first day of the Rainbow Readathon: Red*
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
Genre: Children's animal fiction
Short Summary: Humphrey, Class 26's pet hamster, does a bunch of things that are impossible for hamsters to do and learns a lot of lessons in the meantime.
My rating: 3 stars
My thoughts:
Plot: 1 star
There isn't any kind of plot, just a lot of random little adventures Humphrey has. Also, there was a plot hole: Just how can Humphrey presumably write this book in a doll-sized notebook that's small enough for Humphrey to carry in his mouth? This really bothered me. I don't know why. Another thing: How can a kid teach her mom English in like two days by demanding her mom talk to a hamster? Of course, I am not the intended audience (last I checked, I'm not in 2nd grade).
Characters: 4 stars
For what this is, the characters aren't so bad. I actually liked Mrs. Brisbane and Humphrey.
Writing: 4 stars
Cute and simple.
Do I recommend this? How old are you? If you're under ten, sure. Otherwise, probably not.
The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney
Genre: Children's animal fiction
Short Summary: Humphrey, Class 26's pet hamster, does a bunch of things that are impossible for hamsters to do and learns a lot of lessons in the meantime.
My rating: 3 stars
My thoughts:
Plot: 1 star
There isn't any kind of plot, just a lot of random little adventures Humphrey has. Also, there was a plot hole: Just how can Humphrey presumably write this book in a doll-sized notebook that's small enough for Humphrey to carry in his mouth? This really bothered me. I don't know why. Another thing: How can a kid teach her mom English in like two days by demanding her mom talk to a hamster? Of course, I am not the intended audience (last I checked, I'm not in 2nd grade).
Characters: 4 stars
For what this is, the characters aren't so bad. I actually liked Mrs. Brisbane and Humphrey.
Writing: 4 stars
Cute and simple.
Do I recommend this? How old are you? If you're under ten, sure. Otherwise, probably not.
October 4, 2018
I read this with my daughter, about a few pages a night when I was off from work. This is the third of the Humphrey books we've read, order makes little difference. The nice thing about this one is that we get to see where Humphrey comes from.
My daughter loves these stories and they are well written for her level of reading. She occasionally has questions about individual words, but for the most part this level of vocabulary is well within her grasp. The characters aren't all that developed, only getting a page or two for each one. But most of the incidents aren't all that involved anyway.
The paperback was well formatted with no obvious spelling/grammatical errors.
My daughter loves these stories and they are well written for her level of reading. She occasionally has questions about individual words, but for the most part this level of vocabulary is well within her grasp. The characters aren't all that developed, only getting a page or two for each one. But most of the incidents aren't all that involved anyway.
The paperback was well formatted with no obvious spelling/grammatical errors.
September 11, 2019
Animal books will always be popular. They can be used to show a side of humanity that it will a much harder for a child to understand from human characters.
This is a particularly good example of that. Humphrey helps people in ways that other creatures might not think of or be able to do. He deals with diverse situations while never forgetting he is a hamster.
We all probably need a Humphrey in our lives. I highly recommend this book. Not just for the issues it deals with but it could help children in other situations too. I hope to read the sequels one day.
This is a particularly good example of that. Humphrey helps people in ways that other creatures might not think of or be able to do. He deals with diverse situations while never forgetting he is a hamster.
We all probably need a Humphrey in our lives. I highly recommend this book. Not just for the issues it deals with but it could help children in other situations too. I hope to read the sequels one day.
November 11, 2018
One of this year’s Reading Link books - a Library program my school participates in and that I lead for my students. This was a book that I had heard of from my daughter when she read it last year in Grade 4 and LOVED it. Loving books is not something she tends to do so I had intended on reading it for awhile. It’s a very simple read - on the beginning chapter books end of the scale but I fell in love with Humphrey and his simple understanding of the world. A sweet read.
January 18, 2023
Humphrey is the class pet in Room 26. When the long term sub, Ms. Mac leaves and the regular teacher Brisbane comes back, Humphrey's world changes. He begins to go home with students on weekends, befriends the janitor, and wins over Mrs. Brisbane.
Very sweet read. As an adult, it was very predictable but probably wouldn't be nearly so for kids. Can generate a lot of good discussion on why people do things they do.
Very sweet read. As an adult, it was very predictable but probably wouldn't be nearly so for kids. Can generate a lot of good discussion on why people do things they do.
March 29, 2019
I read this with my son for a school wide read called "Matoaca Must Reads". It was a lot of fun and we both loved the book! He even answered a question right and won a prize at school! He wants more Humphrey books and has requested some for his birthday next month! Can't wait to see what else Humphrey has in store for us!
June 11, 2024
3.5 stars - This was such a precious children's story filled with humor, lovable characters, and great life lessons!
My one complaint is that there was a lot of misinformation regarding hamster care in this book which is concerning knowing how impressionable the target audience is.
Overall though, this was a really heartwarming introduction to the Humphrey series and I will definitely continue reading onwards!
My one complaint is that there was a lot of misinformation regarding hamster care in this book which is concerning knowing how impressionable the target audience is.
Overall though, this was a really heartwarming introduction to the Humphrey series and I will definitely continue reading onwards!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 950 reviews