The Littlest Yak: The perfect book to snuggle up with this Christmas!

By Author / Illustrator

Lu Fraser, illus Kate Hindley

Genre

Picture Books

Age range(s)

Publisher

Simon & Schuster Ltd

ISBN

9781471182617

Format

Paperback / softback

Published

03-09-2020

Synopsis

Perfect for fans of Rachel Bright and Julia Donaldson, The Littlest Yak is a joyous, rhyming caper that teaches little ones to celebrate their own unique talents!

On the tip of the top of a mountain all snowy, where the ice-swirling, toe-curling blizzards were blowy, in a herd full of huddling yaks, big and small, lived Gertie . . .the littlest yak of them all. Gertie is the littlest yak in her whole herd, and she's feeling stuck in her smallness - she wants to grow UP and have bigness and tallness! But when it turns out that there are some things that only Gertie can do, might she come to see that she's perfect, just the way she is? A rollicking, heartwarming and reassuring story from debut author, Lu Fraser and much-loved illustrator, Kate Hindley.

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Reviews

This wintery rhyming tale takes you on a journey of self-acceptance, reminding the reader that they are perfect just the way they are and that we should relish our childhood and not wish to grow up too fast. This book has been recognised for its likeness to Rachel Bright and Julia Donaldson's characterful picture books.

We follow the littlest yak of all the yaks, Gertie, who longs to find the 'bigness' in her. Stuck in her smallness, Gertie takes matters into her own hands and plots a growing-up plan (which features eating plenty of vegetables, of course!). However, Gertie's smallness quickly comes to good use as she rescues another yak. Gertie the Great realises that you don't have to be great in size to be great. In a somewhat surprising twist, Gertie comes to learn that she may be the 'littlest yak' but she is not the 'teeniest yak' of them all!

The woolly illustrations of the yaks in their hats and scarves with the wintery scene makes the contrasting warmth of the storyline even more heart-warming. There is a beautiful range of vocabulary in this book that brings the story evermore to life, words such as: whirliest, splendidly, pattered and wonderfully.

This book is the perfect book to snuggle up and read with children - even older children who need a gentle reminder to enjoy being little. A discussion may be sparked from this book about what we are capable of and what it means to be big. We always tell our children to enjoy their childhood and not wish away their youth and this book does just that.

Picture book / Ages 3+ / Reviewed by Jessica Bunney, teacher