Books by Theme: It's a Bird! It's a Plane! It's a...Yeti!!!

Elwood Bigfoot: Wanted: Birdie Friends! by Jill Esbaum; illustrated by Nate Wragg Cryptid life can be lonely, and in this quirky tale one isolated bigfoot named Elwood embarks on a campaign to befriend the birds whose chirping brings him so much joy. The birds, however, are reluctant to approach Elwood, even when he dresses like them, invites them to a party, and builds a birdie amusement park. Kids will quickly spot why Elwood's efforts go astray, but they'll also root for the kindly sasquatch as he bumbles his way toward success. Fans of Elwood and his (eventual) feathered pals may also want to pick up Nadia Shireen's The Yeti and the Bird for a different take on a similar friendship.

Dear Yeti by James Kwan "Dear Yeti, We're searching for you. Sincerely, Hikers." If you want to find the elusive yeti, it can't hurt to let him know, right? That's the logic employed by the two young hikers in this book, who venture out into a snowy landscape to look for the yeti, who shyly shadows their journey and reads each of the notes they leave behind. With sweet, stylized illustrations that portray the mythical beast as fuzzy and friendly-faced, this gently suspenseful story is sure to be a crowd-pleaser among kids who are fascinated by imaginary creatures. For another appealing pair of cryptid hunters, try Mary Ann Fraser's No Yeti Yet.

Yeti, Turn Out the Light! by Greg Long; illustrated by Wednesday Kirwan After a long day and a tasty spaghetti dinner, a tuckered-out yeti switches out the light and snuggles into his bed for a good night's sleep. Except…what's that scary shadow? "On the light goes, and to Yeti’s surprise, he sees only bunnies, and their big bunny eyes." Yeti's bunny buddies (who naturally decide to cuddle up in his bed) turn out to be just the first of many friendly but unexpected nocturnal visitors, each appearing in comical page-turn reveals. How is a Yeti supposed to get any shut-eye? Find out in this rhyming tale of bedtime jitters featuring stylish, retromodern illustrations.

The Boy Who Cried Bigfoot! by Scott Magoon This book begins with a little boy named Ben telling a big fat lie: “LOOK EVERYONE, IT’S BIGFOOT!” At first people believe Ben’s tall tale, but when no Bigfoot materializes, they start to get frustrated. Kids will chuckle as Ben (aided by his long-suffering dog) deploys increasingly outrageous tactics to get his skeptical family and friends to believe in his Bigfoot sightings. And when Bigfoot finally does appear…well, we don’t want to give away the surprise! Expressive, playfully retro pictures help to balance the underlying lesson about honesty in this lighthearted and quirky retelling of “The Boy Who Cried Wolf.”