The Littlest Yak and the New Arrival - Lu Fraser - ★★★★★

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AUTHOR: Lu Fraser
ILLUSTRATOR: Kate Hindley
SERIES: The Littlest Yak, #2.
GENRE: Children's Picture Book
RATING: 5 stars!

In a Nutshell: So cute! Loved everything about this little gem. A great book for soon-to-be elder siblings.


Story Synopsis:
Gertie, the little Yak, is going to be replaced as the littlest yak of her community. She is quite excited at the thought of having a “brand new” baby sister and begins dreaming of the things they’ll do together. But soon, her thoughts raise a doubt – Will Mummy have enough space in her heart for both of her little yaks? Gertie does her best to estimate the size of Mummy’s heart, but her calculations leave her even more worried. To soothe her worry wobbles, she goes in search of the only person who can relieve her anxiety – Mummy. Will Mummy be able to soothe away Gertie’s fears?


This picture book was the perfect package for me. It had everything I love in this genre, and it also had one thing I strongly dislike but that still delighted me in this instance – rhythmic text. Here are all the things I relished about this read:

❃ The star of the show is undoubtedly little Gertie, soon to be not the littlest. I adored her personality, right from her enjoyment of books to her colourful welcome banner for her sibling to her love for her Mummy. Gertie is one of the sweetest characters I have read in picture books.

❃ The build-up of the story covers all the emotions generated at the news of a younger sibling, beginning from excitement and joy and moving on to fear and worry. I loved how both the sides of the emotional scale were balanced out, rather than focussing only on the apprehensions.

❃ There are many witty scenes, courtesy Gertie’s overenthusiastic preparation for her new sibling.

❃ I liked the other characters as well. Mummy is exactly as Mummies should be – sensible and loving and understanding. Granny Hilda, who rocks her curls btw, is also amazing in her caring encouragement of Gertie’s plans.

❃ I appreciate how Mummy Yak calmed little Gertie’s worries by explaining how hearts work when families grow. Her answer was something the target age group will easily understand due to its simplicity.

❃ I am not at all a fan of rhythmic prose in children’s picture books as many a time, authors force in words just to make a rhyme work. In this book though, for the first time ever, I could see the beauty of the rhymes from the first page itself. Every single verse is perfect in its meter and tone. Moreover, the verses actually feel like verses, with an intelligent use of figures of speech such as alliteration and onomatopoeia to enhance the poetic feel. *chef’s kiss!*

❃ The illustrations are equally adorable. I loved not just the yaks with their knitted hats and poncho-style blankets, but also the background detailing on every page, including Gertie’s two little animal companions keeping an eye out for her, and the snowy forest that somehow never feels cold or lonely. One page shows Gertie keeping some of her books aside for the new baby. Don’t forget to read the titles of her books; they are hilarious! It’s amazing how much of an effort the illustrator put into making even the tiny details memorable.


In short, every aspect of this book – story, rhymes, illustrations, and message –gets full marks from me.

The book is officially intended for ages 4-8, and based on its vocabulary and content, it ought to work nicely for this age range. It might also work for slightly younger kids who are soon to be elder siblings, but a couple of the words could be a tad difficult for them to grasp.

This is a follow-up to the bestselling book, ‘The Littlest Yak’, which I had no idea about prior to reading this. I am going to remedy this lacuna and get my hands on the first book to know more about little Gertie and how her story began.
(Update, Oct 2023: I did it! I read 'The Littlest Yak'! Check out my review HERE.)

Recommended with this Mummy’s entire heart!

My thanks to Penguin Random House, Peachtree, and Edelweiss+ for the DRC of “The Littlest Yak and the New Arrival”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

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