The Official Hamtaro Handbook
The Official Hamtaro Handbookis sure to please enthusiasts of  the Cartoon Network series. Details on Hamtaro and the entire Ham-Ham gang are  given, spelling out each character's owner, talents, birthday, star sign, and  likes and dislikes. For those more visually oriented, a family tree depicts the  hamsters, their owners, the hamster's crushes on other hamsters, and the owner's  crushes on other owners. A Ham-Ham body language dictionary, map of the  neighborhood, and synopsis of the first 26 episodes follow, including a full six  pages devoted to the premiere episode. Other sections provide an explanation of  Ham-Ham dance steps and the lyrics to the opening and closing theme songs. The  book ends with "Bijou's Lost Bracelet," a comic created with characters that  resemble 3-D china figurines, and "The Helpful Hamsters to the Rescue," a red  and white monochrome comic by Ritsuko Kawaii, the creator of the anime series.  But what will undoubtedly gratify fans most are the two large stickers at the  front of the book, one of the unsinkable Hamtaro himself, and one of Bijou, a  recent émigré from France. (Ages 4 to 8)--D.J. Morel