Hampire!

by Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen, Howard Fine (Illustrator)

Overview

On the farm, the critters knew,
At night while they were sleeping,
Past barn and pens,
Past lambs and hens,
A HAMPIRE went out creeping.

One dark night when Duck can’t sleep, he ventures out in search of the perfect midnight snack. But when he runs into the dreaded Hampire, the chase is on, all across the farm! Will Duck—and his snacks—make it safely back to bed?

From author Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen and illustrator Howard Fine comes this madcap barnyard adventure, perfect for reading aloud.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780062184092
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	11/15/2011
Sold by:	HARPERCOLLINS
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	6 MB
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sudipta Bardhan-Quallen is the author of numerous fiction and nonfiction books for children, including Pirate Princess, illustrated by Jill McElmurry; Hampire!, illustrated by Howard Fine; and Tightrope Poppy the High-Wire Pig, illustrated by Sarah Dillard. Sudipta lives in New Jersey with her family.

Howard Fine has illustrated many award-winning picture books, including Dinosailors and Piggie Pie! He has three children and a number of pets. All three children like to draw.

Editorial Reviews

As in James Howe's Bunnicula, the star of this vampire picture book is a vegetarian—but his fellow farm animals don't know that. They think that the Hampire is a skulking, giant hog vampire, and Fine (Piggie Pie!) includes plenty of ominous blue shadows, a terrified Guernica-like pony, and a closeup of the "red droplets" the Hampire leaves on the grass (the Hampire himself is an ominous delight, a massive, porcine, Lugosi-style predator). The sometimes scary illustrations are leavened by the slapstick that ensues when a duck decides he'll risk getting a midnight snack. The farm animals end up cornered, before realizing that the Hampire is more interested in the tray of sweets the duck has been carrying. Building suspense and a sense of nocturnal dread, Bardhan-Quallen's (The Hog Prince) rhymes are filled with puns (" ‘We're sitting ducks,' the duck announced"), and the antics of the frantic duck and the animals he rouses should have readers laughing. Younger readers, though, will likely need knowledge or explanation of the conventions of vampire lore to fully appreciate the joke. Ages 4–8. (July)

Publishers Weekly

Building suspense and a sense of nocturnal dread, Bardhan-Quallen’s (The Hog Prince) rhymes are filled with puns (’”We’re sitting ducks,” the duck announced’), and the antics of the frantic duck and the animals he rouses should have readers laughing.” — Publishers Weekly

“Kids will feast on this deliciously scary tale over and over. ” — Kirkus Reviews

“Fine’s paintings exaggerate the animals’ terror to comic effect (funniest is the pony cowering in the corner), and his canted angles give this just the right absurdist tone.” — ALA Booklist

“A deliciously macabre choice for a not-too-spooky classroom read-aloud.” — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

Fine’s paintings exaggerate the animals’ terror to comic effect (funniest is the pony cowering in the corner), and his canted angles give this just the right absurdist tone.

ALA Booklist