Book Review: Yak and Dove by Kyo Maclear

Yak and Dove, written by Kyo Maclear and illustrated by Esme Shapiro, is a picturebook with three interconnected stories about two very different friends. Yak and Dove are complete opposites. Yak is large and Dove is small. Yak has fur and Dove has feathers. Yak is polite. Dove is ill-mannered. Yak likes quiet. Dove likes noise. One day as Yak and Dove list their differences they come to the conclusion that maybe they aren't meant to be friends. In the hope of finding a new best friend, Yak holds auditions. But when a small feathered contestant sings Yak's favorite song, the two begin to think that maybe they are alike after all.

Yak and Dove is a fun read. The three interconnected stories center around the friendship of the very different individuals. They are very different, and that does not always make friendship easy. However, I like that the stories came together to show how they compliment each other and are good friends because of those differences rather than in spite of them. I liked the whimsical nature of some of the story, it contrasted nicely with the real issues of friendship and working through problems with our friends rather than giving up and walking away, or making friendship conditional.