In this ‘shout-out-loud’ board book, fourteen one-syllable rhymes and near-rhymes tell the tale of a chance encounter between a gentle yak and a somewhat irreverent duck, who meet in a field in nice weather (for ducks).

As the rain pours, an antagonistic relationship of bird and beast plays out: the duck first refuses the yak’s mac, and then covers him in muck (yuk), the pair are reconciled as the duck is heaved by the yak from said muck, rather gratefully unstuck.

The succinct, simple and phonetical language is neatly accompanied by David Sim’s rough, colour-blocked illustrations, delivering the message of each word in a delightfully playful celebration of colour and line

Whilst this may appear simply a fun book for reading to your toddler, it is also a brilliant first reader, with the gorgeous large typography of the 8 simple and single words per page making it easy for a child to quickly identify upon a third or even a second reading. The reiteration and building of words, images and concepts from one page to the next is simply a super-fun way to inspire your child’s very first steps into reading by themselves.

Author Notes Michelle Robinson left her job writing radio adverts to become a children’s author, writing whilst raising her two children.

Illustrator Profile David Sim has been working as an illustrator and children’s author for ten years, with a plethora of titles under his belt. He runs a gallery and studio with his wife and daughter in Scotland, specialising in linocut and silkscreen prints.