Andrea Stenn Stryer

Kami's father and his brother, Norgay, are searching for their yaks one day before a storm. Kami tries to help by blowing his whistle. Usually, the yaks response to the whistle and appear before Kami, but this time they don't. Kami blows his whistle again and again before he decides to go look for them himself. after searching for some time Kami finds the yaks near two large boulders. He blows his whistle again and the yaks refuse to move. Upon further investigation, he realizes that the youngest yak leg is stuck in a crevice between two heavy rocks. He hurries back to his father and brother to try and communicate the problem to them. He is unable to communicate the information about the yaks because Kami is unable to speak. Kami is deaf. He blows his whistle at his father who still does not understand what Kami needs. Finally, Kami pretends to be a yak that has his leg stuck. His family finally understands and race to save the yaks.

This book is not only about how a little boy who is deaf is able to help his family but it also introduces a different culture to most readers. The last page of the book gives the reader information about Sherpas and their culture. The author lets the reader know very early that Kami is deaf but shows how this disability did stop him. He was about to find the yaks when his father and brother couldn't and was also about to find a way to communicate with them.… (altro)

I enjoyed this book because it was very different from my other reads this term. Stryers' descriptive language shows the reader that although Kami is deaf, his other senses are particularly heightened. This book is important when it comes to educating children and increasing understanding of our history and diversity because it teaches us that we cannot assume just because someone is different, they know less than we do or are less capable. We also learn a bit about the life of Sherpas as well, a group that I personally knew very little about!… (altro)