Customer Reviews

The Adventures of Celeste the Cat: Celeste and the Giant Hamster

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I'm an elementary teacher and I read Celeste and the Giant Hamster to fourth graders. If there's one thing I've learned in my 21 years of teaching, it's how to get children's attention: just say, "Once upon a time..." There's nothing like a good story to take children on a thrilling adventure. My students squealed when I told them it was story time and sighed with disappointment when I stopped reading. In this day and age when it's hard to motivate children about anything, it was such a joy to engage children and spark their imagination with this book.

The fast-paced writing made us all feel like we were there for the risks, hazards, and victories! The beautiful words, phrases and vocabulary helped us disappear deep into the woods with the three main characters, cats named Celeste, Tiger and Ruby, to find a missing capybara. This book gave us life lessons, humor, action, and excitement. It gave us courage and hope that we could overcome obstacles and solve problems just like these lovable cats.

We joined these cats on a mission to do what cats do - hunt for a giant rodent!! These cats had to solve many problems along the way, working together as a team to make their various traps and contraptions. And when their contraptions didn't work did they quit? No, they showed amazing kitty persistence and never gave up! They learned about camaraderie and true friends who have your back. They found the courage together to stand up to bully cats like Pumpkin and Phucat, those meanies who have nothing better to do than be cruel.


Celeste taught us about kindness and not making fun of cats with kinked tails. Celeste showed us not only to accept other cats' differences, but to celebrate them as what makes the team stronger. Celeste also gave us hope and confidence that we could find the leader within us all by believing in ourselves. Misfortune and adversity can be great character builders, and Celeste's mishaps helped her find her most courageous self.

The children and I got lost in the story. We were completely connected to the characters and so invested in the how the story was going to end. We identified with Celeste finding the leader inside of her. We related to Tiger's simple kindness, and Ruby's naive sweetness. I even believe children related to the sinister Pumpkin, and my hope is that seeing his mean-spirited ways will help them think twice before being unkind.

Celeste learned something else: never judge a book by its cover, and things are not always as they seem. Sometimes Capybara hunts turn out a lot differently than you planned.

Celeste and the Giant Hamster gave us so much inspiration, laughter and fun. It taught us about life. I loved this book!!!

This book is very witty and clever, bringing to life ordinary house cats in a most extraordinary way. The main characters are believable and mimic so many of us. Celeste in particular is a great role model - an imperfect cat who is a bit egotistical but is so courageous and such a loyal friend that you can't help but look up to her. My favourite character is Ruby who is clearly the underdog - a nervous and naïve cat who can easily be looked over and counted out but who in the end, turns out to be the true hero in my opinion.

And who could not love a book centered around capybaras? That was just the icing on top a very delicious cake.

I am a big fan of capybaras, so naturally I have read this book as soon as it has appeared. It was, though, more about the small company of cats, each one with it's own character, and capybara was a mystery, and only appeared later.

It begins as a funny story, but then it gains momentum of a true drama, and by the end I could not go to bed before I finished reading. It's really an exciting story, both thrilling and moving, and you would learn a lot about the heroes, and really feel attached to them.

I would recommend it to the kids who are not afraid of books with sometimes dangerous adventures.

Celeste the cat has issues: a family who doesn't understand her, a rodent co-pet who looks more like a prey species, friends of dubious quality, and a neighborhood full of roguish cats and thuggish dogs. But is it all reality, or just Celeste's jaded view? On top of all that, Celeste has now heard the humans talking about a giant hamster on the loose in the neighborhood.

She decides she'll show everyone her worth by capturing the giant hamster, which, it turns out, is a pet capybara, a pregnant capybara, no less! But how will she accomplish this with friends like puny Ruby and dopey Tiger, while avoiding the troublesome gangs of felines and canines at the same time?

As the quick and clever narrative unfolds, Celeste learns a thing or two about friendship, bravery, and tolerance. This page-turner is a great chapter book for young readers, but adults will find it fun and touching as well. Tip of the hat to Typaldos for writing about an exotic animal like the capybara, but making it seem mythical and familiar at the same time. She should know; she shares her home with a cappy.

This clever book tells the story of Celeste, a cat that can't quite understand her humans' attachment to the house's dwarf hamster. Tormented by the critter's nocturnal marathons on its squeeking wheel, and in an attempt to prove her bravery, Celeste enrolls two of her friend cats in an adventurous mission: trying to catch a giant hamster that has been seen roaming around in the neighborhood. But their well-crafted plan faces a serious challenge: little they know that the hamster is actually a capybara -- the world's largest rodent.

The story starts on a funny note, then takes us through dramatic and fast-paced moments, pushing the reader from one chapter to the next. The characters are colorful and well-developed; you'll find yourself quickly attached to them! Inspired from the world's most famous capybara, Celeste and the Giant Hamster has a lesson (or two) for us all.

Overall, it's a wonderful, inspiring book for kids and adults alike. Highly recommended!

When I was a kid, my parents had to force me to put down the book I was reading and turn out the lights at bedtime. But as soon as they left the room, I'd flip on a flashlight and read under the covers. That left me with chronic dark circles, but it was worth it. I just had to know what happened next. A book grabs me like that only occasionally these days, but Celeste and the Giant Hamster did just that, earning a place in my Flashlight Hall of Fame. I felt like I was reading under the covers again as I stayed up late over a couple of nights to see what happened to the cats and the giant hamster. Cute cats, cute large rodents and a story that keeps you on the edge of your seat. What more could you want? Highly recommended for all ages and all animal lovers.

Celeste and the Giant Hamster was written for my daughter as a present from her grandmother. Loosely based on our family and my mother's capybara Caplin Rous (http://gianthamster.com/ ) the story covers the trials and tribulations of Celeste the cat and her two friends Tiger and Ruby who discover that a capybara has gotten loose in the field near the apartments they live in. Having heard that the Capybara is only a giant hamster the group originally thinks its capture will prove an easy task. However when they discover that the "hamster" is in fact a 100 lb monster it becomes clear that they will need to use all their wits and ingenuity to catch the beast.

The story is engaging throughout and with the mix of clever Celeste, strong and brave Tiger, and childlike Ruby every child, boy or girl, will find a character to identify with. Divided up into episodic chapters the book also works well for bedtime stories which is how I originally read it to my daughter Celeste. I highly recommend the book and not just because I'm in it.

Who says you can't be informative, happy, and entertaining? There are far too many books out there that are funny but not too happy, or vice versa. And far too many don't show you anything new in any sense. Celeste and the Giant Hamster is the best of all worlds. Learn about exotic Capybaras and go on some wild adventures with Celeste and her kitty friends. Even out of the little bit of sadness in the middle comes a whole lot of happiness and good feelings, with a great grin of an ending. A really great read for kids of all ages.

Celeste and the Giant Hamster is an entertaining tale about a cat who gets more than she bargained for when she sets out to try to trap a "giant hamster" (which is actually a capybara). Along the way, she learns some valuable lessons about tolerance and teamwork.

While this book is intended for children, it's an enjoyable read for cat lovers of all ages. Parents of younger children may wish to read the book out loud, since the chapters can be pretty long for a young reader.

Those who are fans of capybaras may be a little disappointed to discover that this is really a book about cats (the capybara is more of a secondary character). That said, the cats have very well-developed personalities and Typaldos does a terrific job imagining the intricacies of the feline psyche. Through the excellent narration, we experience the joy that Celeste feels at successfully manipulating her humans into giving her food from the table. We begin to understand that cats do feel pangs of guilt after knocking over a piece of furniture (they just don't know how to express it). We discover that "typical" cat behavior is taught to young kittens by their mothers through catchy proverbs.

Overall, Celeste and the Giant Hamster is a well thought-out book that features one of the neatest animals in existence (capybara!).

Celeste and the Giant Hamster is a darling book. I've read it to my 7 year old, chapter by chapter, and we've both enjoyed it. There are facts about capybaras and lessons about true friendship that any parent will enjoy. However, the book captivates its target audience of 5-10 year olds with funny scenes that had my son rolling on the floor with laughter.