Synopses & Reviews
Just before the start of a new trek, a Sherpa family discovers that their yaks are missing. Young Kami, anxious to help his brother and father maintain their livelihood, sets off by himself to find the wandering herd. A spunky deaf child who is unable to speak, Kami attempts to summon the yaks with his shrill whistle. Failing to rout them, he hustles up the steep mountainside to search the yaks' favorite grazing spots. On the way he encounters the rumblings of a fierce storm which quickly becomes more threatening. Surmounting his fear of being alone in the midst of treacherous lightning and hail, Kami uses his heightened sense of observation to finally locate the yaks. Reunited with their animals, the astonished family is once again able to transport their gear and guide the mountain climbers into the majestic terrain.
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Winner of the American Library Association's 2008 Schneider Family Book Award for young children, for artistic expression of the disability experience
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Listed in the Banks Street College of Education's The Best Children's Books of the Year, 2008 edition
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Winner of Moonbeam Children's Book Awards 2007, Bronze Medal, for Picture BookAll Ages
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"Children will admire the young hero . . . for his intrepid spirit . . . animated use of gesture . . . [and] playacting to convey the yaks' plight." Kirkus Reviews
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"The illustrations beautifully capture the awe-inspiring landscape and the quiet determination of its inhabitants." Pam Grossman, PhD, professor of education, Stanford University
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"This story of fear, dedication and courage is handled with sensitivity and should capture and inspire young readers." Carla F. Berry, EdD, associate professor for early childhood education, emerita, Roosevelt University
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"Kami and the Yaks was such a delight to read. The illustrations were inspiring." Maureen Y. Burns, assistant principal of instruction, Kendall Demonstration Elementary School, Gallaudet University, Laurent Clerc National Deaf Education Center
About the Author
Andrea Stenn Stryer is a teacher, a librarian, and the author of The Celestial River: Creation Tales of the Milky Way. She lives in Stanford, California. Bert Dodson is a painter, a teacher, the illustrator of more than 70 children's books, and the author of Drawing & Imagination and Keys to Drawing. He was also an animation designer for the four-part PBS television series, Intimate Strangers. He lives in Bradford, Vermont.