The World According to Humphrey

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So there we were: hamsters, gerbils, mice and guinea pigs-not nearly as popular as the fish, cats or dogs. I suspected that I'd be spinning my wheel at Pet-O-Rama forever. So many of the elementary and middle grade books that I read fall short of being a great book for one reason or another, but this one totally surprised me by being funny and charming, while also having depth without being heavy-handed on grief/death/abuse factors. But once Ms. Mac carried me out the door a short six weeks ago, my life changed FAST-FAST-FAST. I saw Fifth! I saw Alder! I saw the Dairy Maid with the statue of a cow in an apron outside!

The World According To Humphrey Betty G. Birney: My Books: The World According To Humphrey

But when it's Sayeh's turn to clean my cage and feedme, she holds me in her hand so gently, I feel like I'm floating on a cloud. "Hello, Humphrey," she whispers. "Your fur is so beautiful." I always feel calmer when Sayeh holds me. Ms. McNamara (Ms. Mac, Morgan McNamara) - The substitute teacher that steps in to begin the school year for Room 26. She buys Humphrey to help teach the children responsibility. And, of course, one can learn a lot by caring for another species. Ms. Mac seems to be a more liberal teacher and a free spirit who is young and has ambition to see the world. Humphrey loves her and is closest to her throughout the story. In addition to schoolwork, I learned quite a bit about the other students in Room 26. Like Lower-Your-Voice­A.J. and Speak-Up-Sayeh and Wait-for-the-Bell-Garth and Golden-Miranda. (Even after I found out her name is really Miranda Golden, I thought of her as Golden­Miranda because of her long blonde hair. After all, I am a Golden Hamster.) He pointed to the far side of the room. "He always has the neatest desk in the class. He'd better or he'll hear from his uncle. Do you know him?" Imaginations are running wild in Mrs. Brisbane’s class, but Humphrey is stumped. His friends are writing about where they would go if they could fly, b...Also, Garth comes over to play with Humphrey thanks to Mrs. Brisbane. This rekindles AJ and Garth's friendship, and Garth does a lot better after this. Aldo crunched his bag and tossed it into his trash can. "Well, I'm out of here. You know, they got a frog in Room 16, but he's not good company like you are. He sings nice, though." You can do a dog craft to go along with the dog in this story. I chose this project to link because it offers a variety of styles of dogs. Everyone giggled, of course. Especially Stop-­Giggling-Gail. Otherwise known as Gail Morgenstern. "Repeat-That-Please-Richie, said the teacher.

Betty G. Birney: Humphreyville

The rattling got louder. The sounds weren't coming toward Room 26 anymore. They were coming in Room 26.

With that, she closed the blinds and walked away. But I heard her mutter "rodent" under her breath. Humphrey's unique opportunity to observe the students, both at school and at home, develops into a compelling picture of Room 26. The hamster's experiences at Mrs. Brisbane's house round out that portrait. Birney succeeds in developing the animal's character without the narrative becoming too cute or contrived. Humphrey's views underscore the importance of knowing the full story before making judgments, and his presence makes a positive difference in the lives of the people he meets. All in all, a winning book that will appeal to children who like tales about animals, school life, and friendship."

The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney | The The World According to Humphrey by Betty G. Birney | The

They listened!" I squeaked when the principal sat down again. But the thumping and bumping began again in a minute.As he drove me to his house, Mr. Morales told me how he'd always wanted a hamster when he was a kid. But his dad always said they didn't need another mouth to feed. aI argued with him, Humphrey. I said, 'Papa, I will feed him off my own plate.' Then Papa said we'd have to buy the cage and stuff to put in it. I guess he was right, Humphrey. We couldn't afford it." Mr. Morales - Principal of Longfellow school. While he is the most important man in the world at Longfellow school, his secret is that no one at home listens to him, especially his children. He always wanted a Hamster as a child but his dad wouldn't let him because they couldn't afford it. He volunteers to take Humphrey home on the first weekend after Ms. Mac leaves.

THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY Read Online Free Without THE WORLD ACCORDING TO HUMPHREY Read Online Free Without

Hey, you're a handsome guy ... like me. Here ... alittle bit of green won't hurt you, will it?" He tore off a piece of lettuce from his sandwich and pushed it through the bars. Of course, I hid it in my cheek pouch.He introduced us. The little boy, who was about five, was named Willy. He kept poking his fingers through the wires of the cage. I was about to bite him­--pure instinct--but then I remembered: This is the son of the Most Important Person at Longfellow School. So I didn't. I didn't know what Halloween was, but it sure sounded scary, especially when they talked about bring­ing bats and witches and even worse--cats--right into the classroom! SHIVER-QUIVER-SHAKE. What could they be thinking? Is that all this hamster does-sleep?" she asked at one point when she glanced over at my cage. "Well, he's 'turnal," replied Raise-Your-Hand-Heidi Hopper. We sped down the street in Ms. Mac's bright yellow car! (She called it a Bug, but I could see it was really a car.) She carried my cage up the stairs to her apartment! We ate apples! We watched TV! She let me run around outside my cage! She gave me my very own name: Humphrey. And she told me all about Room 26, where we'd be going the next morning. I went in expecting a cutesy early-elementary read, which is certainly what this book sets out to be. Humphrey and his various friends and adventures are engaging and reminiscent of Beverly Cleary's Ralph the Mouse character (probably Stuart Little, too... all the intelligent rodent characters). My objections are twofold. First, all the adults around Humphrey are bumbling and struggling and the children need help, too, while this hamster, who seemingly can do no wrong, is cast as a sort of savior character without whom they cannot overcome their obstacles. (I also don't love this trend of "according to..." titles as they seem a bit flippant toward the formal names of the gospels ["According to Matthew," etc.]; however, this is more of a personal opinion, and I can understand how someone might not mean such a thing disrespectfully.)