The Amazing Hamweenie

Gr 1-4–Hamweenie is a cat that daydreams of being adored by children and revered by the world. In his tiny red cape and teeny black top hat, he fantasizes about walking the red carpet as a star and entertaining enraptured audiences. Instead of being worshipped by the masses, he is lovingly cared for by his young girl. She bathes, fans, feeds, and otherwise fusses over her cosseted cat to his (supposed) utter dismay. As she pampers her spoiled pet, he resignedly accepts her ministrations with stalwart acquiescence of his fate in life. Though readers understand that Hamweenie would be lost on his own in the big city in which he lives and, in reality, wouldn’t really want to “escape,” a cat can dream, can’t he? Spare narration in a tongue-in-cheek, matter-of-fact style is accompanied by Edward Goreyesque illustrations done in pen-and-ink and watercolor. This quietly humorous peek into the life of a coddled feline will resonate with those readers who have ever been owned by a cat.–Maryann H. Owen,  Racine Public Library,  WI