New Releases by Ritsuko Kawai

"Little Hamsters, Big Adventures" is the theme of these three new Hamtaro picture books. They teach kids to use their imagination and creativity by playing games and puzzles and using the colorful reusable stickers, which can be applied to the pages in different spots. Hamtaro is the star of the top-selling children's home video and children's music soundtrack in Japan.

Hamtaro and his gang of hamster pals, the Ham-Ham Gang, join together to help children learn how to count. On the way, they have adventures with such everyday objects as snowmen, sailboats, and of course — sunflower seeds! This is a fun and entertaining way to combine learning with these immensely popular children's characters.

Creator Ritsuko Kawai's hugely popular character, Hamtaro, and his wacky pals bring kids all kinds of fun. The new colorfully illustrated stories in Hamtaro, Let's Play!, with reusable stickers, feature the insatiably curious — and sometimes mischievous — golden hamster who is taking Japan by storm.

When ten-year-old Laura moves to a new town, she and her pet hamster, Hamtaro, need to get used to their new surroundings and make new friends. Hamtaro and his Ham-Ham Gang join forces with Laura to help solve problems and have wild adventures. This series includes full-color games, puzzles, and original Hamtaro picture book stories.

The Hamtaro characters teach the alphabet with this uniquely shaped board book, perfect for little hands to hold on to. "D" is for "doughnut" — and Hamtaro and Howdy are rolling around in doughnut inner tubes. "N" is for "nail" — and Panda has hammered nails into a board in the shape of the letter. "S" is for "star" — and the Ham-Ham friends swing from bright, shiny stars.

Hamsters have a long history of popularity with children everywhere, and in Japan their popularity has skyrocketed. Driving the phenomenon is Ritsuko Kawai's hugely popular manga series, Hamtaro Tales. Now kids who want to raise real hamsters can do so with the help of this colorful illustrated guide. The process of choosing and raising a hamster is covered, and photos of hamsters in precarious situations engage readers.

The Hamtaro gang - ten-year-old Laura, her inquisitive pet golden hamster Hamtaro, and the infamous Ham-Ham crew - get the royal treatment in this colorful, comprehensive guide. The Official Hamtaro Handbook includes biographies of all the characters, a synopsis and guide to each episode of the series, the words to the theme song, and even a lesson in how to do the official Hamtaro Dance! Also included are a dictionary of the Hamtaro language, clips of the anime, a map of the town, a family tree, stickers, and a Hamtaro comic!

Ritsuko Kawai's popular magazine series, Hamtaro Tales, has spawned a mega-industry in Japanese - and now worldwide - pop culture. His hamster hero is the star of Tokyo's top-rated children's show and a 2001 blockbuster feature film. Kids can't get enough of the cute, cuddly Hamtaro, the wacky but well-intentioned golden hamster, and its owner, ten-year-old Laura. This colorful board game book, based on the adventures of Hamtaro, Laura, and the Ham-Ham Gang, folds open to create several different game boards. It includes six game pieces in the shapes of the Ham-Ham bunch.

The Adventures of Hamtaro is the top-rated show on the Cartoon Network, airing six days a week. In this entry, Hamtaro lives with a little girl named Amy and her dog. Everything is fine until Amy befriends the boy next door. Hamtaro can't help but be jealous of their friendship, but something unexpected happens. Amy's friend comes to visit with his pet hamster, soon Hamtaro has a new friend as well!