Dear Yeti

by James Kwan

Overview

A sweet and whimsical story of a perfect kid-sized winter adventure, Dear Yeti is the debut picture book of an author/illustrator to watch.

Two young hikers set out to look for Yeti one day, and with the help of a bird friend, they trek further and further into the woods, sending letters to coax the shy creature out of hiding. But as their trip goes on, the hikers find that they have not prepared very well, and though their morale is high, food supplies are low, the forest is getting darker, and a snowstorm looms. Luckily Yeti is a friend they can rely on, and though he's not ready to come out of hiding, he sneakily finds a way to get the hikers exactly what they need when they need it.

"...a sweet-natured story with a subtle, irresistible narrative momentum, and it’s beautifully drawn as well." - Publishers Weekly

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781466895058
Publisher:	Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Publication date:	11/03/2015
Sold by:	Macmillan
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	79 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

James Kwan is a recent graduate of Pratt Institute. Dear Yeti is his picture book debut.

Editorial Reviews

Dear Yeti is James Kwan's picture book debut, and it's full of evidence of author-illustrator talent. He has an unusual and appealing visual style, with people and creatures that wonderfully combine plumpness and sharp angles, and pages that fill clean, wide-open spaces with just a few worldly details, suggesting a kind of playground of the imagination. Kwan also shows a flair for storytelling that seamlessly integrates the visual and the verbal.

The New York Times Book Review - Maria Russo

★ 08/31/2015
If you’re searching for a mythical, reclusive creature, an epistolary strategy is as good as any. That’s the thinking of the two hikers in newcomer Kwan’s story, who send the local Yeti polite letters via bird, alerting him to their intentions and progress. “Dear Yeti,” they write, having ascended into the mountains. “We found some tracks, poops, and hairs, so you must be close. We would really like to meet you. Hikers.” The correspondence remains one-sided, but Yeti is clearly touched: he arranges snacks and shelter, and reveals himself just in time to keep them from becoming a grizzly bear’s dinner (“Please don’t eat my friends,” are the first words he utters). It’s a sweet-natured story with a subtle, irresistible narrative momentum, and it’s beautifully drawn as well—Kwan’s snowy landscape feels just distant enough, with quirky touches that include trees that resemble popsicles. If some readers begin to suspect that Yeti might be the hikers’ father, and the whole adventure a fantasy... well, that doesn’t lessen the nobility of the quest, does it? Ages 4–7. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

10/01/2015
K-Gr 2—A pair of young explorers venture into the frozen wilderness in search of the yeti. Although they experience setbacks along the way, the boys persist as they determine their potential friend's furry whereabouts. Their journey is chronicled in a series of brief notes to the infamous beast. "Dear Yeti, Morale is still high, but food supplies are low. Hikers." Though their paths do not initially cross, the child hikers' request for help is recognized when Yeti leaves them food and shelter along their journey. Bright blue backgrounds emphasize the spareness of the crisp outdoors. A little bird carries the letters as a means of communication between the parties and serves as a welcome ear when perched on Yeti's shoulders. Yeti makes his intentions clear when he approaches a grizzly bear with a declarative request: "Please don't eat my new friends." The sweet and fitting conclusion conveys a comforting resolution as Yeti carries the young hikers home, where they find a final letter from their gentle giant waiting for them. VERDICT This cool undertaking speaks volumes to the warm power of friendship and the thirst for adventure.—Meg Smith, Cumberland County Public Library, Fayetteville, NC

School Library Journal

2015-08-12
On a quest to find Yeti, two hikers write him letters, asking for his help. The story is told almost entirely in epistolary form, and the first note is quite simple and direct: "Dear Yeti, We're searching for you. Sincerely, Hikers." A tiny bird delivers the message to Yeti, who is hiding behind a tree. Yeti is not convinced. Note after note, the young hikers (self-proclaimed "wild, but friendly") trek ever deeper into the forest, pleading their case. "You shouldn't be shy…. / We would really like to meet you." Suddenly the tone takes a turn. "Morale is still high, but food supplies are low." Concern lines Yeti's face. He gathers berries for the hikers, still staying hidden, of course. Then, when he feels snow flurries, he makes a cave so the hikers have shelter. Just when circumstances can't get any worse (a grizzly is about to chomp down), Yeti finds the courage to reveal himself. This Yeti is not large, foreboding, or even white. He is an adorable, brown, fluffy potato of a fellow. If the book is a bit slight in story, Kwan's style more than makes up for it. Flat autumnal tones are set against pale blues and expansive backdrops, while triangular noses could be plucked off at any moment. One hiker has tea-colored skin and straight, dark hair, while the other is a Nordic blond. A picture-book debut of promise. (Picture book. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews