Book Review of Little Hammy’s Dreadful Delights
The Children’s Book Review
Little Hammy’s Dreadful Delights
Written by Aaliyana & Shaila Abdullah
Ages: 7-9 | 16 Pages
Publisher: Loving Healing Press (2026) | Hardcover ISBN: 979-8-89656-073-9
What to Expect: Silly and gross humor, cooking adventures, animal friendship, determination, and themes of celebrating uniqueness.
An ambitious little hamster’s bizarre culinary creations disgust the judges of a local cooking contest, but he may discover that the perfect audience for his rotten delicacies is waiting just around the corner.
Little Hammy is a fluffy ball of energy and a small rodent with massive dreams of sharing his unique culinary creations with the world. Teaming up with his loyal, dumpster-diving cat friend Tilly McWhiskers to source his highly unusual ingredients, Hammy considers himself the absolute Picasso of his kitchen. When posters go up advertising the local MasterChef Grand Slam Challenge, he is convinced he has finally found his big break.
He pours his heart into perfecting his signature “Hammylicious Sandwich”—complete with a fat smear of blue cheese and live, jiggly worms—but when he presents his masterpiece to the contest judges, his culinary dreams are met with immediate, gagging disaster. Kicked out and utterly discouraged, Hammy slumps into a nearby alley with his rejected sandwich, unaware that a hungry audience of dumpster-dwelling animals is about to completely change his fate.
Co-authored by the mother-daughter duo of Aaliyana and Shaila Abdullah, the writing shines with a whimsical, energetic, and delightfully gross tone that is perfectly tuned to the humor of early elementary readers. The manuscript moves at a wonderful, engaging pace and features a highly structured narrative arc.
The authors employ excellent sensory details and onomatopoeia to “show” rather than “tell” the comedy of the situations—such as a judge’s mustache curling in disgust, or the alley animals “chomping” and “slurping” up the ruins of Hammy’s sandwich. The dialogue is incredibly lively, and the playful vocabulary (with terms like “wormeroni”) makes it a joy to read aloud. The addition of a mock “menu” at the back of the book is a brilliant creative touch that extends the story’s universe.
Mila Uvarova’s vibrant and expressive illustrations provide the perfect visual companion to this wonderfully wacky story. Her character designs burst with life and delightfully capture Hammy’s blind confidence in his giant chef’s hat, the palpable terror and disgust of the human judges, and the sheer, messy joy of the alley animals as they feast. She strikes a masterful balance, depicting the “dreadful delights” with just the right amount of colorful, cartoonish grossness to be highly entertaining to children.
Little Hammy’s Dreadful Delights is a funny, heartwarming, and endearingly illustrated feast for the imagination that delivers an uplifting message about resilience, celebrating your uniqueness, and finding your own tribe. An absolute must-read that will be most enjoyed particularly by young readers who delight in silly, slightly naughty humor and stories about daring to be different.
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About the Author
Aaliyana Abdullah, age thirteen, dreamed up Little Hammy when she was just seven years old, sharing his whimsical recipes with her family. After she had churned out more than 100 of Little Hammy’s dreadful delights, her family encouraged her to tell his story to a wider audience. Aaliyana has won awards and received recognition in the Austin Family Magazine’s Young Writers Contest and the UIL Ready Writing Contest. When she’s not writing, she enjoys dabbling in art and leading service projects that help both people and pets.
About the Co-Author
Shaila Abdullah is an award-winning author and designer based in Austin, Texas. She has authored six books, including four children’s books: The Doll Whisperer, My Friend Suhana, Rani in Search of a Rainbow, and A Manual for Marco. Her books have garnered several awards, such as the Dolly Gray Children’s Literature Award, the Patras Bukhari Award, the Golden Quill Award, the Norumbega Jury Prize for Outstanding Fiction, the Reader Views Award, and the Written Art Award.
About the Illustrator
Mila Uvarova is an artist, sculptor, and children’s book illustrator based in Spain. Originally trained in fine arts and 3-D modeling, she later graduated from Mirra Kotovsky’s School for Children’s Book Illustration. Mila has illustrated more than 50 books, including Oogala-Rukalla, Mr. Kit Who Lives Next Door, Emily’s Dreams, Little Hammy’s Dreadful Delights, and her own story, Mr. Squeakleton—The Forest Postmouse. Mila finds joy in sculpting, painting, and reading fantasy and history. When she isn’t creating cool book characters, Mila enjoys diving, fishing, traveling, and spending time with her son.
