The Littlest Yak: The New Arrival

A new baby is on the way and the littlest yak is happy to be a big sister but sharing is something that starts to seem fun until Gertie realises that means sharing mum too.

Lu Fraser’s lovely rhyming story is a wonderful way to help a child cope with a new sibling and how it’s okay to feel unsure about where you fit in when the family increases. The tremendous illustrations by Kate Hindley just filled me full of glee, the snazzy headgear on the yaks and the yak based book titles are perfect examples of what makes this so special. So many delightful touches that make this series stand out, I hope they continue to work together on more tales of Gertie and her herd.

I thought the littlest yak was adorable until I saw the dinkier one! It’s a cuteness overload.

Young Gertie the yak is excited upon learning that she'll have a sibling so begins planning everything she can do to prepare. That is until she learns that she'll have to share her things- including her mother. Worried, Gertie seeks to ensure her mother has room in her heart for them both.

This is a sweet story using personified animals to explore an event that many children will also experience. The animals help to convey the emotions and feelings but offer a distance between the two parties that enables children to better process the information. It makes it an ideal book for parents to read with their elder children when expecting. It would also work well as a class read in an educational setting.

Throughout are captivating full-colour illustrations that show characters' expressions clearly, also aiding children's understanding, as well as being interesting to view. There is a small colour palette used, with the chosen colours perfectly conveying the cold setting.

A child-appropriate font has been chosen for the text; one that is recognisable for early readers and doesn't focus on it being aesthetic (e.g. unnecessary curls or varying capitals). It is well-placed on the page so the imagery and text do not conflict.

The yak-based, re-imagined titles for classic literature on page eight are lovely, adding an amusing side for adults when reading this book with children. To highlight a few of the best: Yak Beauty, The Great Yaksby & Snowby Dick.

The topic and writing style make this ideal for reading to four to ten-year-olds. From the vocabulary used and how much of it is phonetically decodable, a child would be about six years old to read this independently or with minimal support.

This is an adorable book continuing the story of the littlest yak,Gertie, who this time discovers that a little sibling is due to arrive…but after the initial excitement a question is raised - will mum Yak have enough love for two little yaks. Told in beautiful rhymes with wonderful illustrations this is a delight from start to finish . A book for young readers and will be highly recommended for EYFS classes and KS 1

The Littlest Yak: The New Arrival is a sheer delight. Although a follow on from the wonderful The Littlest Yak you could absolutely read this as a stand alone. However, I urge you to read The Littlest Yak as it's brilliant and one of mine and my daughter's favourite books. The superb duo that is Lu Fraser and Kate Hindley have done it again with another spectacular picture book full of warmth and brimming with love.

Gertie, the littlest yak of the herd is thrilled to hear she is going to be a big sister. She knows just what to do to be the perfect big sister. Gran helps Gertie realise that she'll need to be good at sharing so Gertie begins to gather together the things she can share. It' not long before she realises something or more importantly someone that she will need to share - Mummy! Will Mummy have enough love for both Gertie and the new arrival?

A lovely story to share with all children but the ideal book to gift to a child who's expecting to be a big brother or sister to help them bring up and discuss any of their fears they have and alleviate worries that a new sibling brings.

There's a lyrical lightness and magic to Lu's writing. Her style makes it a dreamy read aloud with its gentle patter of words on your tongue. There's a juxtaposed aspect to the book where the illustrations from Kate are cool and ice-filled yet Lu's story is cast in warm affection with words of love. Together they work in complete harmony to bring you a story you will be asked to read over and over by your little ones.

There's several spreads in the book that we particularly loved. When Gertie is getting creative with paints and knitting needles. We love the palette of the book with the cool blues and pops of red but this spread has a little rainbow sprinkling of colours. As book lovers we also adored the page with the stack of books to help little yaks with big thinking! Exploring the different titles of the books was lots of fun. I think Kate had lots of fub when constructing this spread. Gertie continues to be super cute and yakling is just as delightful.

Thanks to Simon and Schuster and Netgalley for sharing an eARC with us.

Gertie is the littlest yak ... for now! She is going to be a big sister which is super exciting, or it is until the doubts begin to creep in. After all she's never had to share her Mummy before.

This is such a lovely book. Gertie is as cute as ever but facing a big change. If you have a little one who is about to become a big brother or sister this is a great way to begin talking about what they can do and what might be different or difficult when the baby arrives.

I was able to read an advanced copy of this book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers but the opinions expressed are my own. This is a lovely gentle way to show your little one that while some things will change with a new baby others will stay the same. Recommended.

It wasn't long ago that Gertie, the littlest yak, took the picture book world by storm, winning lots of awards and a permenant place in the hearts of readers young and old. Well, GOOD NEWS, Gertie is back and as cute as ever. But something cuter might be on the way...

When Gertie learns she is about to become a big sister, she is over the moon. But, as she busies herself making preparations, a horrible thought suddenly strikes her. Maybe being a big sister won't be so great after all.
Rushing to find her mummy, Gertie finds herself a little lost yak. Will Gertie be found? And will being a big sister turn out all right after all?

After falling in love with Gertie first time round, we weren't sure whether it would be possible to like this one more, but we did! Lu Fraser's rhyme is not only perfect but it evokes the most beautiful images and emotions within the reader, telling a story that will be relatable to lots of young readers. Kate Hindley's illustrations are rich and warm (despite the snowy scenery), truly giving us 'all the feels'.

Although we loved the message of the The Littlest Yak, the themes and message of this second story won our hearts. I haven't seen many new sibling stories of late but out of the ones I have read, this has to be one of the most beautiful. Without giving too much away, watch out for the heart in the snow because it will literally melt yours. With gentle humour, family dynamics and characters you won't forget, this will be the story of the winter season; gorgeous, cosy and cockle-warming.

A big thanks to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for allowing me a review copy. The Littlest Yak: The New Arrival is available to pre-order and is out on 29th September.

Thoroughly endearing, this shows a mummy yak and a baby yak, happily together, until (with no sign of daddy yak, but we’ll let that pass) the bomb drops that there’ll be a new baby yak. The child demands of itself it’ll be the best big sister yak imaginable, but then worries how the mother could possibly love her when there’s junior to look out for and love instead. A simple, and commonly dealt-with, quandary comes with charming characterisation, and a pretty proficient verse narrative. I must be feeling generous for the number of five stars I’m handing out this afternoon, but I can’t really see why this doesn’t deserve them, as it’s really quite delightful and shows the issue behind its very existence very nicely indeed.