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Betty G. Birney worked at Disneyland for many years, has written several children’s television shows and is the author of over twenty-five books, including the best-selling The World According to Humphrey, which won the Richard and Judy Children's Book Club, Friendship According to Humphrey, Trouble According to Humphrey, Surprises According to Humphrey and More Adventures According to Humphrey. Her work has won many awards, including an Emmy and three Humanitas Prizes. She lives in America with her husband.
Betty Birney on Betty Birney:
I wrote my first "book" at age seven. It was called "Teddy Bear in the Woods" and was followed by a sequel. Luckily, my parents encouraged my writing and my sister, Janet, was a great writer and role model.
I didn't just write, however. When I wasn't roller-skating (my favorite pastime), I was riding my bike, playing piano, swimming, reading, playing cards and board games or just hanging out with my friends. I loved school, but I loved vacations, too!
Celebrated class hamster Barney is back for an exciting new adventure. This time, all the action of Christmas is filling Room 26 as everyone gets ready for the Winter Wonderland Show. But not everything is going to plan. As ever, it takes Barney to do something a little extra special and make it a Christmas that everyone in Room 26 will remember for ever. ~ Julia Eccleshare.
Best-selling class hamster Humphrey finds out many fascinating things as a new term begins in Room 26. It all begins when the words ‘pharaoh, papyrus, pyramid and hieroglyphics’ appear on the classroom blackboard… Suddenly, Humphrey finds himself caught up in all kinds of secrets from far-off Egypt. And, like many others, he finds that keeping secrets isn’t a good idea! ~ Julia Eccleshare
Children’s favourite Humphrey the hamster is back for another adventure, his twelfth no less. The good news is that he’s just as delightful as ever, his school-hamster-eye view of the world just as funny and generous. Humphrey gets to listen in on all the children’s lessons from his cage in the corner, and is particularly excited at the thought of trying some creative writing. It’s not easy, but he perseveres; trips home with children for the weekend providing him with lots of ideas. By the end of the book, his imagination is working overtime, the BEST-BEST-BEST feeling in the world! These sweet and easy to read little stories have much to recommend them: Humphrey is a real character and there are little moral messages slipped in with the animal fun. ~ Andrea Reece
Children’s favourite Humphrey the hamster is back for another adventure, his twelfth no less. The good news is that he’s just as delightful as ever, his school-hamster-eye view of the world just as funny and generous. Humphrey gets to listen in on all the children’s lessons from his cage in the corner, and is particularly excited at the thought of trying some creative writing. It’s not easy, but he perseveres; trips home with children for the weekend providing him with lots of ideas. By the end of the book, his imagination is working overtime, the BEST-BEST-BEST feeling in the world! These sweet and easy to read little stories have much to recommend them: Humphrey is a real character and there are little moral messages slipped in with the animal fun. ~ Andrea Reece
Best-selling class hamster Humphrey finds out many fascinating things as a new term begins in Room 26. It all begins when the words ‘pharaoh, papyrus, pyramid and hieroglyphics’ appear on the classroom blackboard… Suddenly, Humphrey finds himself caught up in all kinds of secrets from far-off Egypt. And, like many others, he finds that keeping secrets isn’t a good idea! ~ Julia Eccleshare
Celebrated class hamster Barney is back for an exciting new adventure. This time, all the action of Christmas is filling Room 26 as everyone gets ready for the Winter Wonderland Show. But not everything is going to plan. As ever, it takes Barney to do something a little extra special and make it a Christmas that everyone in Room 26 will remember for ever. ~ Julia Eccleshare.
Lovable Humphrey is back with more classroom exploits. When popular class teacher Mrs Brisbane doesn’t arrive for school one day Humphrey is unsqueakably worried. The class are soon having a little too much fun with supply teacher Mr E and not quite enough learning but Humphrey is determined to get to the bottom of Mrs Brisbane’s mysterious disappearance. Taking inspiration from the famous detective Sherlock Holmes, Humphrey begins to search for clues. Will he discover where Mrs Brisbane has gone? And will his friend Og the Frog be the Mr Watson to his Mr Holmes? Yet another delightful tale with our funny, furry hero who brings a very unique and different view to life in the classroom ~ Shelley Fallows
Humphrey, the delightful classroom hamster, is back for a new set of adventures after his thrilling holiday at Camp Happy Hollow. Humphrey has been looking forward to returning to his classroom, Room 26, and to seeing all his old friends. But Humphrey is in for a shock. The classroom is the same but the children are not! Everything is topsy turvy but luckily Humphrey has a rare knack of making new friends and putting everything back together again. A fun to read story about what school looks like to a very special animal! Shortlisted for the Independent Booksellers Book Award 2011
Humphrey the Hamster’s view of the world is always entertaining. He’s happy in his job as classroom pet so, when the holidays are announced, he worries a lot about what will happen to him. But Humphrey soon finds that holidays are fun too and, in his case, full of some quite scary adventures! Humphrey is a loveable character who writes an irresistibly appealing diary.
Humphrey the Hamster’s view of the world is always entertaining. He’s happy in his job as classroom pet so, when the holidays are announced, he worries a lot about what will happen to him. But Humphrey soon finds that holidays are fun too and, in his case, full of some quite scary adventures! Humphrey is a loveable character who writes an irresistibly appealing diary. ~ Julia Eccleshare Humphrey has won the Richard and Judy Children's Bookclub, been a World Book Day selection.
A third adventure for the charming and resourceful Hamster. When all sorts of problems crop up in the classroom, from Pay-Attention-Art's marks going down, to Golden-Miranda finding herself in big trouble, Humphrey must step in to lend a helping paw. Using his charm, resourcefulness and wisdom, he's certain to have a plan.
Read this, and you’ll never see a pet in the same way again! A hamster-eye view of school, families and having fun takes readers on a roller-coaster of human/pet relationships. Classroom pet Humphrey gets to go home each weekend with a different pupil. It’s a steep learning curve as he learns to handle all kinds of weird behaviour both human and animal. Humphrey’s diary is a joy to read.
Humphrey the hamster, star of more than a dozen top-selling books, is back with a new cover style but the same enjoyable helping of gentle, funny adventures and good-hearted, happy life lessons. Humphrey is the school hamster and lives in Mrs Brisbane’s class. He knows all the children very well and describes their everyday activities to readers along with his own, generally more comic adventures, adding in wise little hamster-view comments on the world, and often exploring different children’s problems or worries. Winter is finally drawing to a close and Humphrey and the children are eager for signs of spring. Spring means change, and the book gently illustrates how change can sometimes be a scary thing. The arrival of a couple of tadpoles also gets Humphrey thinking about family and family ties. Humphrey continues to deliver funny stories with just the right amount of excitement, and he’s a particularly lovable, comforting fictional friend. There are lots of Humphrey books for readers to collect, and fans might also enjoy Elisabeth Beresford’s stories of The Wombles, or Joshua Doder’s Grk stories. ~ Andrea Reece
Read this, and you’ll never see a pet in the same way again! A hamster-eye view of school, families and having fun takes readers on a roller-coaster of human/pet relationships. Classroom pet Humphrey gets to go home each weekend with a different pupil. It’s a steep learning curve as he learns to handle all kinds of weird behaviour both human and animal. Humphrey’s diary is a joy to read. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Children’s favourite Humphrey the hamster is back for another adventure, his twelfth no less. The good news is that he’s just as delightful as ever, his school-hamster-eye view of the world just as funny and generous. Humphrey gets to listen in on all the children’s lessons from his cage in the corner, and is particularly excited at the thought of trying some creative writing. It’s not easy, but he perseveres; trips home with children for the weekend providing him with lots of ideas. By the end of the book, his imagination is working overtime, the BEST-BEST-BEST feeling in the world! These sweet and easy to read little stories have much to recommend them: Humphrey is a real character and there are little moral messages slipped in with the animal fun. ~ Andrea Reece
Children’s favourite Humphrey the hamster is back for another adventure, his twelfth no less. The good news is that he’s just as delightful as ever, his school-hamster-eye view of the world just as funny and generous. Humphrey gets to listen in on all the children’s lessons from his cage in the corner, and is particularly excited at the thought of trying some creative writing. It’s not easy, but he perseveres; trips home with children for the weekend providing him with lots of ideas. By the end of the book, his imagination is working overtime, the BEST-BEST-BEST feeling in the world! These sweet and easy to read little stories have much to recommend them: Humphrey is a real character and there are little moral messages slipped in with the animal fun. ~ Andrea Reece
Four adventures each of which shows just what an exceptional hamster Humphrey really is. Humphrey lives in a cage in room 26 in Longfellow School but every week he goes home with a different pupil. His cage is meant to be locked but luckily the lock is broken which means that Humphrey has all kinds of adventures according to what his hosts are getting up to! Here he celebrates birthdays and gets entangled with a puppy as well as being involved is a treasure hunt!
Best-selling class hamster Humphrey finds out many fascinating things as a new term begins in Room 26. It all begins when the words ‘pharaoh, papyrus, pyramid and hieroglyphics’ appear on the classroom blackboard… Suddenly, Humphrey finds himself caught up in all kinds of secrets from far-off Egypt. And, like many others, he finds that keeping secrets isn’t a good idea! ~ Julia Eccleshare
Best-selling class hamster Humphrey finds out many fascinating things as a new term begins in Room 26. It all begins when the words ‘pharaoh, papyrus, pyramid and hieroglyphics’ appear on the classroom blackboard… Suddenly, Humphrey finds himself caught up in all kinds of secrets from far-off Egypt. And, like many others, he finds that keeping secrets isn’t a good idea! ~ Julia Eccleshare
Featuring 3 published 'tiny tales' and one brand new one this bumper collection will have kids and parents laughing their way through it. It includes My Pet Show Panic!, My Summer Fair Surprise!, My Creepy-Crawly Camping Adventure! and an all new story My Mixed-Up Magic Trick!. Perfect for younger Humphrey fans, these Tiny Tales will be loved by kids from 5+.
The famous class-room hamster has a great many wonderful adventures in this bumper volume of three books in one. As ever, Humphrey takes a beady hamster-eyed look at everything around him and makes some profound comments about them. Humphrey enjoys life – a lot! And young readers will enjoy joining in his adventures. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Humphrey’s many fans will love his Christmas jokes and Christmas puzzles. There’s something for everyone from the simple Spot the Difference Snowman to some complicated Sudokus. A perfect stocking filling providing hours of entertainment. ~ Julia Eccleshare
Humphrey, everyone’s favourite hamster, has loads of fun puzzles and riddles for all of his friends. Enjoy a summer of fun away from the classroom with Humphrey to lend a hand!
Celebrated class hamster Barney is back for an exciting new adventure. This time, all the action of Christmas is filling Room 26 as everyone gets ready for the Winter Wonderland Show. But not everything is going to plan. As ever, it takes Barney to do something a little extra special and make it a Christmas that everyone in Room 26 will remember for ever. ~ Julia Eccleshare.
Celebrated class hamster Barney is back for an exciting new adventure. This time, all the action of Christmas is filling Room 26 as everyone gets ready for the Winter Wonderland Show. But not everything is going to plan. As ever, it takes Barney to do something a little extra special and make it a Christmas that everyone in Room 26 will remember for ever. ~ Julia Eccleshare.
A message from Humphrey, hamster extraordinaire: Dear friends, I LOVE-LOVE-LOVE sharing my adventures as a classroom hamster with all my friends. In fact I'm unsqueakably excited to share my new stories with you and I think Humphrey fans and new younger readers will be excited, too! Because I've written some shorter tales that are every bit as funny and exciting as my According to Humphrey books. They're called Humphrey's Tiny Tales and they've even got illustrations! (I'm quite pleased at how cute I look in the pictures.)
Humphrey the hamster loves the adventures he has as the classroom pet in Room 26 Longfellow School. And he loves puzzles and riddles, too. Here are all kinds of fun activities from riddles through spelling quizzes to join the dots which celebrate Humphrey and his adventures. A great holiday companion as well as being a terrific companion to all the Humphrey books that are loved so much.
Humphrey the Hamster’s view of the world is always entertaining. He’s happy in his job as classroom pet so, when the holidays are announced, he worries a lot about what will happen to him. But Humphrey soon finds that holidays are fun too and, in his case, full of some quite scary adventures! Humphrey is a loveable character who writes an irresistibly appealing diary.
Humphrey the Hamster’s view of the world is always entertaining. He’s happy in his job as classroom pet so, when the holidays are announced, he worries a lot about what will happen to him. But Humphrey soon finds that holidays are fun too and, in his case, full of some quite scary adventures! Humphrey is a loveable character who writes an irresistibly appealing diary. ~ Julia Eccleshare Humphrey has won the Richard and Judy Children's Bookclub, been a World Book Day selection.
To celebrate his tenth birthday the whole Humphrey series has a smart new livery, repositioning him alongside perennial favourites such as Winnie-the-Pooh and Paddington. Humphrey enjoys surprises as much as the next hamster, like his brand new hamster ball or a surprise part, but sometimes surprises can be bad... Like coming whisker to whisker with a cat (EEK!) or having an alien from another planet move into Room 26! All this and LOTS-LOTS-LOTS more happens in Humphrey's new book of adventures, Surprises According to Humphrey. Praise for Humphrey: 'An effective exploration of the joys and pains of making and keeping friends, which will strike a chord with many children.' Daily Telegraph 'A charming, feel-good tale.' Irish Times 'Humphrey's matter-of-fact, table-level view of the world is alternately silly and profound and Birney captures his unique blend of innocence and earnestness.' Publisher's Weekly 'Humphrey, a delightful, irresistible character, is big hearted, observant and creative.' Booklist
The adventures in Humphrey's Room 26 are hopping back into the spotlight, from the perspective of Og the Frog!When Og the Frog first comes to Room 26, he doesn't know what to think. He misses his friends from the pond, there are all kinds of strange noises, and the water is his tank just might be too clean (you know, a little muck never hurt anyone). But the furry, squeaky fellow living next to him is endlessly entertaining, the kids sure are friendly, and--BING, BANG, BOING!--they put big fat crickets right into his tank. All of this gives Og lots of ideas for one of his favorite passtimes--making up poems and songs. But he gets stumped when talk turns to sending him back to the pond. Will he have to say good-bye to Tabitha whose whole life just changed like his? Or Mandy who just started seeing the bright side of things with his help? And Humphrey, who he's finally beginning to figure out? Og's frog's-eye view of the world is curious, sympathetic, and poetic, and the perfect companion to The World According to Humphrey.
The first book in the series about everyone's favorite classroom pet! You can learn a lot about life by observing another species. That's what Humphrey was told when he was first brought to Room 26. And boy, is it true! In addition to having FUN-FUN-FUN in class, each weekend this amazing hamster gets to sleep over with a different student, like Lower-Your-Voice-A.J. and Speak-Up-Sayeh. Soon Humphrey learns to read, write, and even shoot rubber bands (only in self-defense, of course). With lots of friends to help, adventures to enjoy, and a cage with a lock-that-doesn't- lock, Humphrey's life is almost perfect. If only the teacher, Mrs. Brisbane, wasn't out to get him! Boys and girls can't help falling in love with Humphrey!
After the holidays, Humphrey is shocked by a big surprise in Room 26-a new class pet! Humphrey tries to be welcoming, but Og the frog doesn't respond to any of his friendly squeaks or visits (remember, he has a lock-that-doesn't-lock). Plus, the students are so interested in Og, they almost stop paying attention to Humphrey altogether. Humphrey doesn't like the mad-bad-sad feelings he's had since Og came, but luckily he still gets to have adventures with different kids on the weekends. Friendship can be tricky, but Humphrey is an intrepid problem-solver. If any hamster can become buddies with a frog, he can.
Humphrey loves to solve problems for his classmates in Room 26, but he never meant to create one! Golden-Miranda, one of his favorite students, gets blamed when Humphrey is caught outside of his cage while she's in charge. Since no one knows about his lock-that-doesn't-lock, he can't exactly squeak up to defend her. Humphrey really has his paws full when Don't-Complain- Mandy-Payne and her family stir up more big trouble. Humphrey manages to help Pay-Attention-Art and Sit-Still-Seth and even survives a trip to the vet, but can he clear Miranda's name without giving up his freedom forever?
Children’s favourite Humphrey the hamster is back for another adventure, his twelfth no less. The good news is that he’s just as delightful as ever, his school-hamster-eye view of the world just as funny and generous. Humphrey gets to listen in on all the children’s lessons from his cage in the corner, and is particularly excited at the thought of trying some creative writing. It’s not easy, but he perseveres; trips home with children for the weekend providing him with lots of ideas. By the end of the book, his imagination is working overtime, the BEST-BEST-BEST feeling in the world! These sweet and easy to read little stories have much to recommend them: Humphrey is a real character and there are little moral messages slipped in with the animal fun. ~ Andrea Reece
Best-selling class hamster Humphrey finds out many fascinating things as a new term begins in Room 26. It all begins when the words ‘pharaoh, papyrus, pyramid and hieroglyphics’ appear on the classroom blackboard… Suddenly, Humphrey finds himself caught up in all kinds of secrets from far-off Egypt. And, like many others, he finds that keeping secrets isn’t a good idea! ~ Julia Eccleshare
Celebrated class hamster Barney is back for an exciting new adventure. This time, all the action of Christmas is filling Room 26 as everyone gets ready for the Winter Wonderland Show. But not everything is going to plan. As ever, it takes Barney to do something a little extra special and make it a Christmas that everyone in Room 26 will remember for ever. ~ Julia Eccleshare.
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