For years, schools have celebrated reading with Betty G. Birney’s Humphrey series. Now, readers who need a bit more support can join in the classroom hamster fun with Humphrey’s Tiny Tales, aseries of introductory chapter books.
“Classroom pets like me love to be needed.”
In Humphrey’s Playful Puppy Problems, everyone’s favorite hamster heads home for the weekend with Richie, nephew of Aldo, everyone’s favorite school custodian. It isn’t just any weekend. It is Science Project Weekend and all of the students in Room 26 are busy preparing their experiments. The always helpful Humphrey is excited to help Richie, but he is a little worried about being the subject of the experiment. Will he end up turned into a Humphrey-stein?
“The thought of Poppy playing with me made me shiver and quiver.”
The truly frightening part of going home with Richie turns out to be a cute puppy. Poppy is playful – too playful for a tiny hamster focused on helping Richie with a science experiment. Aldo saves the day and the experiment is a success…until Poppy the playful puppy returns and decides that Richie’s presentation is the perfect play toy.
“I love going home with my friends. Even my friends who have very playful puppies.”
Never fear! With a hamster-eye view and a cage with a lock-that-doesn’t-lock, Humphrey is able to repair the project. Our intrepid hamster saves the day, and Richie’s project is a huge success. Just as in the longer novels, Humphrey’s ingenuity, loyalty, and cunning are on full display. Families and classrooms will cheer for this A+ classroom pet, and students will be ready to dive into the rest of this series, along with the Humphrey and Og series.
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You can pair Humphrey’s Playful Puppy Problems with The World According to Humphrey or Friendship According to Humphrey as an Introductory Chapter Book Companion to extend your schoolwide reading program to include your youngest students and families needing more literacy support.
Or you can use Humphrey’s Playful Puppy Problems independently for your whole school. It is perfect for primary schools serving the youngest learners.
The book comes with a full complement of Read to Them school and home materials to surround your students with literacy.
