In the Himalaya Mountains of Nepal, a deaf Sherpa boy proves himself to his father by rescuing his family's yaks from a dangerous storm.

I LOVED this picture book! It was rich in many aspects; I really enjoyed it. The illustrations were very detailed, and I think all readers would enjoy this story. This book had a great story. I thought it was great that the author incorporated a little boy with a disability, because there will always be a child out there that can relate to his story in one form or another. Another aspect that I enjoyed about the book is that it was original, I have never read a book of this sort before. The illustrations also helped the entire book come to life, which is very important to do in children’s books. I will one day read this book to my class, and then have a discussion about what the children thought, what stood out to them?

Stenn-Strver, A. (2007) Kami and the yaks. Palo Alto, California: Bay Otter Press.

2008 Schneider- Young.

addressing deafness

set in Nepal - such an exciting story!

Kami is a young Sherpa boy who lives in the Himalayas. His family takes care of a heard of Yaks, which are used for carrying packs for mountain climbers (among other things, I'm sure). One day, Kami, who is deaf, realizes that the yaks have not come back from the mountains. Despite a brewing storm, Kami goes to find them. A neat story on persistance and bravely, and beautifully illustrated in sepias and blues. A couple times, the text was a bit lost, especially the white text on a lighter or "busy" background. It's not a problem with a single, or one-on-one read, but may make this book a bit of a challenge for a larger storytime.

Kami’s family earned a living by guiding, setting up camp, and cooking for mountain climbers, since they were starting early, they had to load the animals with all the things they would need. His father and brother went to find the Yaks, as they did not come down from the mountain. Kami was deaf and could not hear if the Yaks could hear him blowing his whistle. Kami’s thought that his father and brother was going the wrong way, looking for the Yak’s, as he thought they would be in the meadow. He was afraid, but knew he had to help, so off he went, in the dark, in the cold, in the deep snow. When he made it to the meadow, the Yak’s were not there, he blew his whistle, and nothing. He kept looking, and finally saw them, the baby Yak’s leg was caught between to rocks. He tried and tried but could not get it free. He was so afraid, but he was determined to get the Yak’s home. Kami made it home and finally convince his father and brother that he knew where the Yak’s were, he showed them where they were, and they brought them home.

This book is about a boy who helps to find his family's four yaks that they need to make a living. His father and brother were off trying to find them and Kami wanted to help to find them. He ends up finding the yaks and making his father and brother very proud. Andrea Stenn Stryer does a great job in making the story very suspenseful and keeping the readers trying to guess what will happen next. This book does a great job at leaving the readers feeling like they can do great things even when they may have weaknesses or things that might keep them from helping. It is very inspiring and uplifting.

A family of Sherpa realize that their most valuable possession, the yaks, have not come back. In hopes of helping his family, a young deaf boy, Kami, sets out to find the them. Using his other heightened senses, Kami locates the yaks but cannot convince his father to take him seriously with his gestures since he cannot speak. Kami's will power fuels the story and in the end, Kami helps his father get the Yaks back. One of the main themes in this book is stereotype. Kami's father did not take him seriously at first because he was deaf and could not speak, but if it wasn't for Kami, the Yaks might not have ever of been found. This just goes to show that we are all equal, and we can all help, even if you have a disability. The illustrations in this book have lots of detail. To the rocky cliffs, or the landscape in general, the illustrations really put a picture in your head of where Kami and his family are from.

We read this as part of our Nepal study. We loved that the main character is deaf (not something we find represented very often in children's picture books) and that the book embraces and illustrates part of the Nepalese community and way of life.

Miss 6 and I like to explore different books and authors at the library, sometimes around particular topics or themes. We try to get different ones out every week or so; it's fun for both of us to have the variety and to look at a mix of new & favourite authors.

Great book to teach children about the Shirpa lifestyle in the high mountains. I loved the beautiful photos as well. I wanted more details and stories when I was done reading this book.

Kami is the younger child in a Sherpa family. He's also deaf. That doesn't keep him from searching for his family's missing yaks.

Love the Asian feel to the illustrations and how persistent Kami is in his search.

A story of a brave young boy who rescues his family's yaks, despite the misgivings of his father. This would be a good read for kindergarten and up.