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THE AMAZING HAMWEENIE ESCAPES + 5 other funny picture books
The Amazing Hamweenie Escapes! by Patty Bowman (2015).
Hamweenie the cat, owner of a top hat and delusions of grandeur returns in this hilarious picture book.
That first spread totally cracks me up and tell us everything we need to know about Hamweenie, our narrator. He is not your average cat. He is hyperbolic. He has more of a curly mustache than whiskers and dresses quite dapper.
Hamweenie believes if it weren’t for being held prisoner in the child’s apartment, his life would be grand and spotlighted and full of accolades.
So he makes a break for it, out to the streets of the city. His dream finally comes true.
He heads for the circus where he’s sure to be a hit, at least in his own mind.
The humor comes not just from Hamweenie’s larger than mice personality, but from the way his narration contrasts the illustrations. Where we see subway riders totally uninterested in Hamweenie or a bear in a tutu trying to attack him, he sees adoring fans. His grandiose perception is what makes him so fun to watch.
And Bowman’s illustrations are fantastic, full of so many details, from what lines the shelves of the laundry room to a woman with a candy cane held like a cigarette. And that pink sky is gorgeous. Yes, pops of pink everywhere in this book.
I think you’ll want to visit her website, where you can see more of her work and even print out a mythological creature/snack food fortune teller.
Thanks to Patty Bowman for images!
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(With big thanks to Dashka Tolstikova for recommending this gem!)
Your turn! Favorite picture books that make you (or kids you know) chuckle?