The Official Hamtaro Handbook

The Hamtaro gang — ten-year-old Laura, her inquisitive pet golden hamster Hamtaro, and the infamous Ham-Ham crew — get the royal treatment in this colorful, comprehensive guide. The Official Hamtaro Handbook includes biographies of all the characters, a synopsis and guide to each episode of the series, the words to the theme song, and even a lesson in how to do the official Hamtaro Dance! Also included are a dictionary of the Hamtaro language, clips of the anime, a map of the town, a family tree, stickers, and a Hamtaro comic!

The Official Hamtaro Handbook is sure to please enthusiasts of the Cartoon Network series. Details on Hamtaro and the entire Ham-Ham gang are given, spelling out each character's owner, talents, birthday, star sign, and likes and dislikes. For those more visually oriented, a family tree depicts the hamsters, their owners, the hamster's crushes on other hamsters, and the owner's crushes on other owners. A Ham-Ham body language dictionary, map of the neighborhood, and synopsis of the first 26 episodes follow, including a full six pages devoted to the premiere episode. Other sections provide an explanation of Ham-Ham dance steps and the lyrics to the opening and closing theme songs. The book ends with "Bijou's Lost Bracelet," a comic created with characters that resemble 3-D china figurines, and "The Helpful Hamsters to the Rescue," a red and white monochrome comic by Ritsuko Kawaii, the creator of the anime series. But what will undoubtedly gratify fans most are the two large stickers at the front of the book, one of the unsinkable Hamtaro himself, and one of Bijou, a recent émigré from France. (Ages 4 to 8) --D.J. Morel