Sherpa guides depend on yaks when they lead climbers into the Hima layas. Knowing that his father and brother were leading an expedition that morning, Kami was surprised to find them searching for their yaks. Even though he could not hear the sound—Kami was deaf—he knew Curly Horn always responded when he blew his whistle. This story of a fictionalized Nepalese Sherpa family and their young son’s courage in the face of a sudden mountain storm provides readers with a window into a culture most people never encounter. Dodson’s watercolor illustrations are evocative of the frigid Himalayan landscape and isolation. 2008 Schneider Family Book Award (Young Children). lmp

Just before the start of a new trek, a Sherpa family discovers that their yaks are missing. Young Kami, anxious to help his brother and father maintain their livelihood, sets off by himself to find the wandering herd. A spunky deaf child who is unable to speak, Kami attempts to summon the yaks with his shrill whistle. Failing to rout them, he hustles up the steep mountainside to search the yaks' favorite grazing spots. On the way he encounters the rumblings of a fierce storm which quickly becomes more threatening. Surmounting his fear of being alone in the midst of treacherous lightning and hail, Kami uses his heightened sense of observation to finally locate the yaks. Reunited with their animals, the astonished family is once again able to transport their gear and guide the mountain climbers into the majestic terrain.