1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hamzy is great for young and old, May 3, 2008
This review is from: Hamzy (Paperback)
Hamzy is a hamster. He is also an actor. And quite a good one, too, coming from a long line of actors staging plays out of the Arch Street Theatre. He loved the stage, but more he loved to watch the motion pictures that humans showed in the parks on Saturday nights. Such magic, romance, and adventure.
But the real adventure doesn't begin until Hamzy joins a traveling show and winds up in Kansas, that mystical movie land of a little dog's encounters with twisters, lions and flying monkeys. Hamzy is daring during the great petting zoo jail break. He discovers the thrill of performing again in a magic theater, and finds courage leading his band to save the theater from Mr. Peterson's wrecking ball. But most of all Hamzy finds himself.
Reviews:
Hamzy reads like a great combination of Stuart Little by E.B. White, and Rabbit Hill by Robert Lawson.
"Dear John, that was one of the best stories I've ever read *** I got yanked into it. I could not stop reading it. Thanks for letting me read it." Sincerely, Tessa. Columbus, OH
"Thank you for acquainting me with Hamzy *** in his khakis, sandals and short-sleeved shirt. *** He is quite a guy and deserves to be widely loved and long remembered." Irma H, Sacramento, CA.
Regarding how the book came to be written, author John Dirina explains "On a walk one summer, a long while ago, we saw the word Hamzy written as graffiti on an electrical box. `I wonder what that means?' one of the kids on the walk asked. `That?', I said. `That was probably put there by Hamzy. You know, the hamster that lives by the school and puts on plays all summer under the bleachers. You do know about Hamzy, don't you?' And so the story went as we walked. But it wasn't until later that summer that the whole Hamzy story came to light. That's when there was this knock on my door. I answered it, looked around, no one there. And then came an `Ahem' from below, and looking down I saw a hamster in khakis, sandals and short-sleeved shirt looking up. `Hamzy's the name, acting's the game. And if you're going to go around telling my story, let's just get it from the hamster's mouth, so to speak.' Many meetings, notes and sunflower seeds later, well, there came the story of Hamzy and the Bradbury theater. And the rest you know, except for Becca's story, all about the drawings she made for the book."
Illustrator Becca Chambers is a local artist with over 35 years experience in the field of illustration and graphic design. "When John asked if I would like to draw some pictures for a children's chapter book, I didn't hesitate. I said 'Yes' even before he finished his question. This is something I've talked about all my life. When my kids found out about it, they encouraged me to follow through with getting it finished. It has been great fun and it is a pleasure to see this evolve and become real. Like Hamzy, I had a lot of love and encouragement to follow my particular interests. It is never a solitary adventure, and I appreciate the support from family and friends to help dreams come true. Doing what you love is its own reward."
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