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A picture book about differences and things in common
Sissy, a little girl goat, spends the night away from home for the first
time. Her mother has brought her to stay overnight at the Yak-Yaks’, a friendly
yak family. It doesn’t take long before Sissy’s extravagant requests start to
surprise the Yak-Yaks. At first the good-natured hosts try to satisfy her every
need, but at the same time they show that simple pleasures can also be a lot of
fun. Finally, Mama Yak-Yak decides that she too can be served by the others, and
Sissy is a great help with the cooking. When her mother then comes to pick her
up—much too early—Sissy discovers that Moritz Yak-Yak has become a new friend,
and he is very different from Sissy!
Sissy’s excursion into the world of the Yak-Yaks is portrayed with large,
colorful illustrations by Andrea Hebrock that really hit the mark. Sissy is an
enchanting but picky young kid with all the qualities of a spoiled little girl.
She wears a ruffled dress and flowered slippers. She could hardly look more out
of place when dropped off at the simple home of the Yak-Yaks by her mother, who
also is quite fashion-conscious, with sunglasses thrown casually over her horns
and golden bangles around her hoof.
The Yak-Yak family is quite a contrast: tall and massive, covered with brown
fur. They sit around the plain dining table eating potatoes with salt. Mama
Yak-Yak looks very different from Sissy’s mother. The only thing revealing that
she is the woman in the house are her slippers and simple dress. The family’s
furniture is functional and without ornamentation. Only Moritz’s room looks like
it could have been furnished from the IKEA catalog.
The different habits of the two families are depicted with striking clarity,
as is the typology of the characters, but this does not detract in the least
from the readers’ sympathetic feelings for their likable natures. Sissy, with
all her initial extravagance, impresses readers with her self-assurance as she
sits unfazed with the beefy and bull-like—perhaps even threatening-looking—yak
family. Quietly and politely, yet determined, she articulates her culinary
wishes until everyone, even the youngest of readers, will soon start to roll
their eyes in both amazement and exasperation. She is endearing the way she is,
because she later learns that she can also be different.
Moritz has the home advantage and thus he can afford to give in and be
generous to Sissy by doing things her way. Like his mother, Moritz also attempts
to satisfy Sissy’s needs, suggesting game after game until his choosy little
guest finally expresses her agreement. And so they show some surprise and even a
bit of fascination as they slowly get used to each other’s unfamiliar ways. Not
until Sissy starts wanting to change Moritz’s personality does she run up
against a stone wall, and she finally acknowledges, with a smile, the appeal of
being different.
Heike Friesel
[Description and book translated by Allison Brown:
ab@textetage.com]
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