Betty and the Yeti

For two years in a row now, the weekend celebrating our first President's birthday has marked a different sort of celebration here in Suttons Bay; Yetifest. Superficially celebrating that huge, white haired, mythical beast said to live in Nepal, Tibet, and now Suttons Bay, Yetifest in truth has provided a great opportunity for the community to get together outside and shake off the malaise of winter while having a whole bunch of fun.

As a part of the community, the library has contributed to the merriment with of course, Yeti stories in addition to Yeti crafts and face painting. That all seems straightforward enough until the time comes to locate those Yeti stories. Shockingly (or not) very few picture books have been written about Yetis. Last year, for Yetifest's inaugral jaunt, I managed to find two fantastic tales in Nick Seluk's "The Awkward Yeti" as well as Kenneth Oppel's "Peg and the Yeti." At the time though, these wonderful stories made up the entirety of the genre. Fortunately, between 2013's fest and last Saturday's, Ella Burfoot added the enjoyable "Betty and the Yeti" to the canon.

Written in short rhyming text that easily rolls off the tongue "Betty and the Yeti" relates the utterly adorable story of Betty and her little red sled. One day, while traipsing about, Betty discovers piece by piece the makings of a big, hairy, white, and filthy snowsuit. Being the curious child she is, Betty sets out to find the owner of these lost necessaries. 

After asking Bear, Whale, and Artic Hare, Betty is directed to a rock behind which she finds a small, shy, and quite naked creature that turns out to be a Yeti. Contrary to the lore of both our own reality as well as Betty's, the Yeti is not a huge, ferocious, loner but is instead a timid critter that not only needs massive amounts of layers to stay warm, but a few friends as well. To the surprise of no one over the age of 4, Betty and eventually Bear, Whale, and Artic Hare all befriend the Yeti thus nicely emphasizing the importance of not judging based upon appearances.

Interestingly enough, in contrast to this message, it is the appearance of Burfoot's book that is the most arresting aspect of the tale. Consistently utilizing black backgrounds with bright, colorful, rounded drawings, Burfoot's illustrations (not to mention the Yeti subject matter) are what truly set "Betty and the Yeti" apart. The deep contrasts of black and color paired with the rounded characters magnificently evoke the dark reality of winter, the lore of the Yeti, as well as the fictional and fun qualities of both the tale and subject matter. It is an eye catching style and when paired with an enjoyable tale it is, as Saturday's Yetifest proved, sure to appease young readers and listeners.