BC Books Online was created for anyone interested in BC-published books, and with librarians especially in mind. We'd like to make it easy for library staff to learn about books from BC publishers - both new releases and backlist titles - so you can inform your patrons and keep your collections up to date.
Our site features print books and ebooks - both new releases and backlist titles - all of which are available to order through regular trade channels. Browse our subject categories to find books of interest or create and export lists by category to cross-reference with your library's current collection.
A quick tip: When reviewing the "Browse by Category" listings, please note that these are based on standardized BISAC Subject Codes supplied by the books' publishers. You will find additional selections, grouped by theme or region, in our "BC Reading Lists."
Hamsters Holding Hands is an engaging, fun board book targeted toward very young learners.
Each page features a different number of playful hamsters accompanied by rhyming text. The illustrations are bright and graphic with lots of humorous details to keep both child and adult engaged. A counting book that takes readers from one to ten, Hamsters Holding Hands is a delight to share with any young child.
★ "This charming counting book features spunky, pear-shaped hamsters...engaging in simple yet unexpected fun...Debut talent Reich brings subtle, off-kilter humor—with props like balloons, pinwheels, and snorkel gear—and an understated style to her spreads, with the hamsters' citrus hues playfully smudged outside their outlines. It's hard not to smile at images of the happy hamsters jumping rope or working on their tans."
"Ridiculously sweet and fun....Reich’s illustration style, too, is unique and playful. The palette is all gentle, warm, browns and oranges and soft greens and yellows. The outlines of the images are clearly drawn but a bit wobbly, and the washes of colour spill outside the lines a bit, here and there, in sort of a tacit ode to the drawings of little kids. The small details are fantastically clever as well...If you’re bored to death of tired, retread counting books, Hamsters Holding Hands is the solution to your problem!"
"The illustrations are brightly colored and full of activities. This is a delightful book that children and parents will enjoy reading together again and again."
"Here's a new board book for infants and toddlers that will entertain them, teach them the numbers from one to 10, and will set their toes a-tapping...Parents and wee ones can enjoy [Reich's] charming poems and captivating illustrations together. A lovely gift for a baby, your own or someone else's."
"There's a lovely quiet charm about this board book...Definitely check this book out for young readers or kids practicing their numbers."
"A cheerful little counting book that both parents and children will find a fun and simple introduction to counting from one to ten. Each hamster filled page offers rhymes and activities that are easy to vocally embellish or mime for the enjoyment of both parent and child."
"Counting books are a dime a dozen, but few attain the outright adorableness of Montreal artist Kass Reich's first board book. Rendered in earth tones with hints of hot pink, Reich's splay-toed rodents frolic in the sun, eat some rice, and, yes, hold hands. The text is simple and fun, a combination that will no doubt strike a chord with wee ones."
"Why another counting book? All you have to do is look at the adorable hamster heroes in this original board book...Their outstretched front paws and wide grins exude joy...Pure delight."