Hot Rod Hamster

Old car, new car, shiny painted blue car,

Rust car, clean car, itty-bitty green car.

Which would you choose?

Newbery Honor author Cynthia Lord and New York Times bestselling illustrator Derek Anderson put the pedal to the metal in this endearing, rhythmic, rip-roaring race to the finish line where a hamster creates a sizzling hot rod with a little help from his new furry friends and YOU!

Awards and Honors:

South Carolina Picture Book Award

Magnolia Award (Mississippi)

Buckaroo Book Award (Wyoming)

Parents' Choice Recommended, Parents' Choice Foundation, Summer 2010

Finalist for 2011 Children's Choice Book Award (Grades K–2), Children's Book Week

"Junior racing fans will get a vicarious thrill with this story of a tiny driver who dares to burn rubber with the big boys."  Booklist

"Young readers will love helping the irrepressible hamster build his dream car. Their hands will dart up immediately when they hear the refrain, 'Which one would you choose?'"  School Library Journal

Best Children's Books of the Year (2011), Bank Street College

"Newbery Honor author Lord's picture-book debut is a rollicking, roaring read....Anderson's fluffy, jaunty illustrations are as full of energy as the rhymes."  Kirkus

Nominated for Kids' Choice Awards:

Colorado Children's Book Award

Buckeye Children's Book Award (Ohio)

The Goldfinch Award (Iowa)

Create a new hot rod for Hot Rod Hamster! Click here for an activity sheet by illustrator Derek Anderson.

Read what led me to write Hot Rod Hamster (click here).