Sesame Street composer-lyricist Moss and illustrator Demarest ( My Little Red Car ; No Peas for Nellie ) team up again (as they did in The Butterfly Jar ) with this droll saga of a boy named Jack, "who more than anything wanted a yak." Rhyming couplets and sprightly line drawings deftly present the many adventures of this oddly touching odd couple. The story begins in grade school, continues on through college ("I wish you could come, but I won't get my wish. / They just allow hamsters and tropical fish"), Bob's death, Jack's marriage and eventual family--and finally comes full circle, with Jack presenting his own daughter with a yak of her own (she names him Steve). Although the book doesn't have quite the zany charm of Dr. Seuss's books, its eminent readability and sweet message about the continuity of life will find it an enthusiastic audience. All ages.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 2-4-- Told in rhymed couplets, this is a delightful saga of two friends. It begins at the time that Jack, the boy, first realizes that what he really needs most to make his life complete is a yak. He assures his dubious parents that "it's better than a puppy or a goldfish or a llama." They finally agree, and what follows is the depiction of the typical interplay between child and pet. The story takes readers through Jack's departure for college and the inevitable lessening of his devotion to Bob as new friendships and experiences fill his life, to the sad day when his beloved but aging yak dies. The tale comes full circle when, years later, Jack realizes that his young daughter needs a pet and he knows just what to get her. And so another cycle is about to begin. This story of life and death, growth and loss, has been told with a sense of humor that is punctuated by Demarest's delightful line drawings. The rhymes flow naturally, as does the narrative, and only rarely does either seem forced. Children, particularly fans of Roy Gerrard's Mik's Mammoth (Farrar, 1990) and Dr. Seuss's stories, will have no trouble relating to the timelessness and familiarity of this tale. --Linda Greengrass, Bank Street College Library, New York City
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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