Don't Do It, Doug!

A hamster with no self-control finds other outlets for his energies.
Cute but feckless Doug has never met the button he won’t push, the cord he won’t pull, or the canned goods display pyramid he won’t send crashing down. Compelled to eat every doughnut in the many boxes before him and to yodel in avalanche territory, he suffers the consequences—as do the hapless mountain climbers nearby. A helmeted insect (perhaps a bee or a hornet) wearing safety glasses tries to help when Doug expresses interest in raiding a beehive, but Doug charges ahead and gets stung. After he presses the lever on a reclining chair—and is flattened like a pancake between the halves—his insect friend takes him skydiving, then wakeboarding, and finally on a roller coaster. Doug realizes that there are other ways to get thrills, and he seems able to control his impulses. His friends congratulate him: “Nothing can tempt you now.” But as we see Doug holding a stick near a sleeping bear, they add, “CAN it?” Beedie’s art pairs flat or stylized backgrounds with close-ups of furry, cuddly Doug, keeping the focus sharp. Readers will enjoy repeatedly echoing the title admonition and will gleefully note that instant karma falls on the little rodent when he doesn’t listen. Grand fun that allows young readers to feel in control. (Picture book. 3-7)–Kirkus Reviews

Doug the hamster just can’t seem to stop touching, pulling, and shaking all the things he knows he shouldn’t. Poor Doug leaves a trail of destruction in his wake, and he doesn’t know how to stop. But when he starts to channel his need for thrills into hobbies built for thrill seekers (like riding the fastest roller coaster), could Doug’s days of destruction be behind him? Don’t Do It, Doug! will delight young readers who will recognize the momentary thrill and inevitable crash that follows doing that one thing they’ve been forbidden to do. The illustrations capture Doug’s adorable glee on one page followed by his pitiable state on the next (following his many misadventures) in a way that makes him a completely ridiculous and wonderfully relatable character. The story doesn’t have a tidily victorious ending but instead presents tackling impetuous tendencies as a journey rather than an off/on switch. Young readers will enjoy hearing this story of a hamster just trying his best again and again.–Booklist