First sentence: “If life is a book, then Smoot the Shadow had been reading the same yawn-colored page for seven and a half years.”

When you love yetis so much, but people don’t believe they’re real, of course you’re gonna set out to prove that yetis exist. That’s exactly what Henry does.

Everybody that Henry encounters—his dad, the principal, his schoolmates—don’t believe that yetis are real. For Henry, he’s not deterred by their disbelief and their teasing; Yetis do exist, and it’s a matter of proving it to everybody else. He’ll travel through rivers, forests, and mountains to find this mythological yeti.

The story is a delightful tale that is witty enough for young kids to understand. The art is top-notch with Henry with his red and white Peruvian Hat, black turtleneck, and red framed glasses, and the simple-yet detailed scenery. It’s cute and funny. The illustration helps progress the story forward beautifully—when Henry travels through, Ayto does a fantastic job of using one page to portray three different places. You really feel like you’re moving along with Henry.

Henry and the Yeti is a heartwarming tale about a boy who doesn’t let others discourage what he believes in. Be like Henry and search for your own yeti.

Have you read any of Russell Ayto’s work? Do you believe yetis exist?