The Littlest Yak
by Lu Fraser Illustrated by Kate Hindley

I read an arc of this book from NetGalley with my 4 year old.

A heartwarming story for children who want to grow up to make them reflect on the value of being little and the value of where you are in your life right now. We all have different talents and skills and sometimes even though it seems like ours are too different that difference is what is needed.

We loved the illustrations there’s something about them that makes them humorous. We loved the rhyming.

Gertie is the smallest yak, and she's sick of it. She wants bigness and tallness. She wants to be like all the other yaks. So she sets out to LEARN how to be bigger. But all the learning in the world can't make her grow bigger faster. Then the bigger yaks come looking for Gertie. A yak is stuck on the mountain, and they need HER help!
The Littlest Yak by Lu Fraser, illustrated by Kate Hindley will resonate with kids who just wish they could grow up already, and with parents who long to keep their little ones small a bit longer. At its heart, it is a story of learning that we are all exactly who we are meant to be, no matter what that might look like. A great book for any parent and child to read together.
Thank you to Publisher's Spotlight/Peachtree for letting me read early!

A very adorable story time book that showcases the strengths in our “weaknesses” and that every unique yak has a place in the world. I know for a fact that this book is enjoyable by children and I’m sure once published that sentiment will carry over

What a perfect story! The prose is engaging, the artwork is unique and absolutely stunning, and the message is so important for so many children. As the mother of a child who is awfully small for her age, I am very excited to share this book with her. I look forward to looking up this author and illustrator's other work (and watching for what they publish next)

i loved the illustrations. they were crisp and were not too busy, which will be good for easily distracted listeners. the words had a smooth cadence.

The Littlest Yak was the sweetest rhyming picture book about a little yak named Gertie who wants to grow up fast so that she can contribute to her herd. One day the herd calls on Gertie for help in a task that only she can manage as the little yak she is.

This book was absolutely adorable on so many levels! Kate Hindley's illustrations are amazing and perfectly complement Lu Fraser's story that was rhymed beautifully with a wonderful message to celebrate one's own unique abilities.

I would highly recommend reading The Littlest Yak while snuggled up with your little ones!

Thank you to Lu Fraser & Kate Hindley for writing and illustrating one of the best picture books of this year in my personal opinion. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

What a wonderful story! Written in the tradition of Dr Seuss and with fantastic colorful illustrations by Kate Hindley, this rhyming story is for everyone. It just goes to show that being small can be just the PERFECT size.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook copy from Publisher Spotlight and Peachtree Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!

Gertie the yak wants nothing more than to be big. Significantly smaller than the other yaks in her herd, Gertie struggles to do most of the things the others can do. Though Gertie’s mother tries to convince her that big things are in Gertie’s future, Gertie herself is not so sure. One day, the herd seeks Gertie’s assistance to rescue an even smaller yak from a precarious perch on the mountainside. It is on this day that Gertie begins to realize the “bigness” that resides inside even the smallest of packages.

This superb picture book blends unique illustrations with a compelling narrative that will draw readers back again and again. Created using pencil and ink in a limited color palette, Gertie’s world is depicted primarily in grays, blues, turquoise, black, and white with accents of red and yellow. Patterns on the yaks’ clothing couple with these hues to give the book a distinctly Northern European appearance within the frozen landscape Gertie calls home. A dynamic and varied illustrative approach enhances the plot and supports energetic visual storytelling.

Accompanying the illustrations is a rhyming, rhythmic text that is as fun to voice aloud as it is to hear. Echoes of Dr. Seuss can be found in the writing style, occasional use of unusual words, and the overall message of self-love. Short snippets of text punctuate each page, often split mid-sentence to vary the pacing of the narrative. Every so often, words are shown in all capital letters to help them stand out from the rest of the line while enhancing textual awareness in young readers.

Homes and classrooms alike will delight in this enjoyable story, and readers of all ages, especially those who are short in stature, will find a special kinship with this book. Though being small can be challenging at times, everyone has “bigness” inside them that is to be celebrated. This is a highly recommended and eagerly anticipated addition to read aloud collections for young elementary school-aged readers.

Very cute story with fun, beautiful illustrations, of a small yak, Gertie, who longed to be big. Until her diminutive size allows her to rescue another yak stuck high on a cliff. It’s the “everyone has value regardless of size” message in an engaging and appealing package. Written in rhyming verse it reads quite fluently, without the sometimes tortured constructions found in stories-in-rhyme. A winner!

I loved this fun book about the littlest yak who wishes she were a big yak. This theme is not new in picture books, but I liked was that the little yak tried to grow by making healthy choices. The illustrations were fun, the rhymes flowed and weren't forced, and the characters were unique.

This was such a delightful read. The bold and whimsical illustrations drew us in from the beginning. This is a story about a yak who is too small or is he? The ending was so sweet. Children who have siblings can relate to someone always watching even if they don't realize it. This is a book we will be buying and adding to our collection.

This is a very cute book that shows how being small means you can still do big things. I read this with my 6 year old and he enjoyed the story and the adorable illustrations.

Gertie is a yak. Gertie is little and Gertie feels very insignificant amongst the bigger, more seasoned yaks in her herd.

"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."

She longs to be powerful, full of greatness and have BIGNESS inside of her. Her loving mother assures her that yaks come in all shapes and sizes and maybe one day little Gertie will be HUGE and tall. She encourages her not to be in a rush to grow up. The determined little yak takes it upon herself to hurry her BIGNESS process along. Gertie feels discouraged as she fears she will never grow up. Then one day something happens to totally change Gertie's life forever and make her feel self-confident in her abilities and feel like a SUPERHERO. A challenge is presented to her that only a small yak can achieve and when Gertie accepts that challenge she discovers her true uniqueness and that she is perfect just the way she is.

This inspiring message is heartwarming and it dispenses hope to those who lack self esteem in themselves. The illustrations are fabulous. They are filled with adorable characters, lots of detail and action, and strong emotion. I love that the book is written in rhyme. Kids love words that rhythmically flow from page to page and the author rhymes to perfection. The book teaches little ones to celebrate themselves and who they were created to be. I highly, highly recommend this book. It is a winner!

I don't think I could like this book anymore. It is so cute and so well written. The timing of the rhyming is perfect which I can speak from experiences a hard thing to do. The story is great with the moral about being who You are because who You are is beautiful and perfect the way you are, even in all your imperfections.

Thank you #netgalley and #TheLittlestYak for allowing me to read this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Littlest Yak is a heartwarming story about a tiny yak, Gertie, with extra-grippy hooves. She wants so badly to be a big yak with large antlers and great big hooves. Gertie tries hard to make herself grow but soon realizes that being little has its perks. The illustrations are gorgeous and I love the sing-songy text. It is a joy to read aloud and my four-year-old can't wait for it to be published so we can read it over and over.

I love love love this charming, adorable picture book about Gertie, the littlest yak of them all, who longs to "grow UP and have greatness and tallness!" The illustrations are richly expressive, with great characterization in the yaks and beautiful details. I especially loved the illustration of Gertie gasping in realization that her smallness can be a great thing after all. The language is fun and whimsical, with rhymes and wordplay just begging to be read aloud. An adorable book with a fabulous message, ideal for baby shower gifts and bedtime reading.

Thank you to NetGalley and Peachtree Publishing for the advance review copy!

Gertie is a little yak who is frustrated with being small and can’t wait to grow up and be big. When something happens and she’s needed to save the day, she learns that great things can come in all different packages.

The children absolutely loved this book and so did I! The illustrations are gorgeous and the verses have a cadence and rhyming scheme that was reminiscent of Dr. Seuss. The story has a good moral and is short enough for the attention span of younger kids. I plan on buying this book when it’s published.

I half love this story and I'm half put off. Actually, it's probably 2/3 love and 1/3 put off. I don't know if it's just my brain or what, but it seems like rhyming books rarely manage to pull off what they intend. It has a great message, I really like the little yak having bigness angle. But the prose was clunky in my head as I was reading it. That's a deal breaker for me.

The Littlest Yak, Gertie does not want to be little any longer and worries she will never be a big yak. She learns that there are other ways to be a “big” yak other than size. The rhythm of the words make this a fun one to read aloud. I can see older toddlers and preschoolers appreciating the story and relating to it’s message. The art is cute and clearly illustrates the text on the page. The yellow on Gertie’s hat really helps her to pop out from the background.

I read this picture book like a poem. With beautiful illustrations and a cute little yak as the protagonist, this story was entertaining and a pleasure to read. I loved that it was told in rhymes!
Children always want to grow up fast and to be able to do what adults do, just like Gertie. But I loved that this was about celebrating how nice and useful it can be to be smaller, to be different, and that we all have strengths that are simply ours and allow us to do great things. I think this is a great book for anyone who sometimes feels like their differences keep them from doing things and being useful to their community and the people around them. It’s a reminder that we need all kinds of people to do something great together! I’d definitely recommend it for young children for how positive it is.