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Yak and Gnu (Juliette MacIver, illus by Cat Chapman, Walker Books)

Chances are, of the vast array of animal picture books out there, not many of them feature the unlikely duo of a yak and a gnu, which is why Juliette MacIver’s offering already has a point of difference. Her beasts are the best of friends, and thanks to Cat Chapman’s ink and watercolour illustrations, they’re also rather silly to look at as they both stand upright on two legs. With yak in his kayak and gnu in her canoe, they like to sail along the river, singing songs. Much of the book is devoted to the large numbers of creatures yak and gnu meet on the water, including a goat in a boat, a calf aboard a raft, and a rat and her clan on a catamaran. The rhymes will be a hit with preschoolers and the different animals on their respective vessels are good for simple counting exercises. The beauty of this picture book is that MacIver and Chapman revel in the ridiculous, so there’s even a flotilla of humpback whales and gorillas squashed together on a tiny boat. And when yak has a tantrum towards the end, complaining that there are just too many animals, gnu reminds him that there’s no-one else like him—so it’s also a sweet ode to friendship.

Thuy On is a Melbourne-based reviewer and books editor of the Big Issue

 

Category: Reviews