Yakari and the Coyote

Authors: Derib – Job
Age: 6 years and up
Size: 21.7 x 28.7 cm
Number of pages: 48 colour pages
Publication: November 2011
ISBN: 9781849181013
Price: £5.99 inc. VAT


When the beavers bring Yakari a battered old canoe, the young Sioux and his friends repair it and go for a little trip—and find more adventure than they bargained for, in the person of a father coyote. Fortunately, their new friend is up to his reputation for cunning: When Buffalo Seed is cornered by an angry puma, it will take all of the coyote’s tricks, combined with Yakari’s bravery, to get the young hunter out of his predicament.

Okay! Okay! I saw this and threw my arms in the air in resignation. At my age (which, if I were a dog would make me Methuselah –seriously) reading a kids comic. Yeah, I just realised the irony in that. Anyway, legs not willing to work I sat down and opened up this particular Yakari adventure.

Actually, this is quite good.  I don’t go in for the cartoony cute art but is was no problem.  I loved the fact that this turned into good old Indian native american?  First Nations myth and legend. At first when you see the coyote you think “Oh, please -this is 2011 -’evil’ coyote?!”  But no! And you find you are reading a far more sensible book.  Things do get into full swing as both Yakari and his friends and the coyote then engage in a rather cat-and-mouse  escape from a puma.

This is great stuff from, as I wrote, a more sensible and realistic portrayal of wildlife right down to the coyotes tricks.  Kids will love this.

And my big question is this: WHY did we have to wait so long in the UK to get anything that kids and parents can read together? It always makes me smile grunt (gotta keep up the old git image) when I see the Cinebook tables and how families will check out the books together.  I think for that alone Olivier Cadic needs to get an award.

Wonderful stuff and as a Christmas book it ought to make the young uns smile!