Note: This book isn't available in English (yet). The original title reads Hamley #1: Hamley is jarig.
Saw this cat xenofiction series at the local library. You know me, I'll give any xenofiction a try, so here we go. Spoilers ahead.
Hamley is a young and curious cat. One day she learns of the concept of a birthday and pie from her humans, and she is determined to taste some pie for herself. Together with another cat named B-Boy she breaks into a local bakery in hopes of tasting some pie. But then B-Boy turns out to have ulterior motives...
Obviously, this is a book for younger kids, but that doesn't mean it wasn't enjoyable. Simple plot and the characters aren't too complex, sure, but it's also cute and charming and its simplicity worked for me. I was surprisingly invested in this little kitten and her quest just to eat some pie.
It's just a neat little story and I'm positive the target audience would like this as well. Even to me as an adult reader it was just a fun read.
However, it's not perfect. For one, I think B-Boy's betrayal of Hamley came right the fuck out of nowhere and had too little buildup. And then his redemption happens completely off-page (we're told he regretted his actions, instead of shown) and he never even makes up with Hamley herself. So I think that his character could've been handled better.
Also, the moral B-Boy's plotline is giving off is a bit mixed. It basically says that if you don't get what you want, just throw a big enough tantrum and you'll end up getting it anyways. B-Boy felt unwelcome at Hamley's house, so he led on Hamley and made a mess at the bakery in order to frame her. And instead of being rightfully punished for this behavior, he is rewarded by being accepted into Hamley's household as a barn cat, basically giving him everything he wanted.
This just feels like a bad moral to give the young readers. It basically says "just throw a big enough tantrum if you don't get what you want, and you'll get it anyways". I can see this forming some entitlement in children who take away this message from the books.
Finally I think that the title is a bit misleading as Hamley never celebrates her birthday in this book (in fact, she's heavily implied to not even be a year old yet as she's just a kitten). So I don't know why they titled it like this. "Hamley's Quest for Pie" or something along those lines would've been a more accurate title.
Overall a charming little children's book, but I'm a bit unsure about how it handled B-Boy and the moral his redemption could send to the young readers.
Rating: 3/5
No comments:
Post a Comment