Meet the Bigfeet

In this first title in the Yeti Files series, Sherry (Turtle Island) tries out the chapter-book format with mixed results. His characters—yeti hero Blizz Richards and a whole community of “cryptids” (creatures of mythology, legend, and folk lore)—have all the googly-eyed charm that makes his picture books so much fun. And he still excels at a kind of manic level of explanation, giving his creatures heavily annotated hideouts (it’s nice to know that even yetis have unfinished art projects) and a sweet backstory (yetis and their ilk are shy because “the secrecy keeps magic and mystery in the minds of humans. And we all know how important that is”). But the story, which turns on whether a crazed cryptozoologist named George Vanquist will crash the yeti family reunion and expose everyone, doesn’t gain much traction. There are plenty of incident, jokes, and gags (Blizz pays the unicorn who flies him to the reunion with a burrito gift card), but the buffoonish Vanquist isn’t enough of a comic menace to propel the story forward. Ages 7–10. Agent: Teresa Kietlinski, Prospect Agency. (Sept.)