Little Yau: A Fuzzhead Tale

My 5 year old daughter absolutely loved this book! In fact she is obsessed with it and wants to become a fuzz head, a far loftier goal (in my opinion) than, say, a Disney princess. I loved the ideals and lessons put forth in this book and wish there were more like it. Another addition to the fuzzhead series would also be nice.

Charming story that opens many opportunities for discussion about the natural world. The fuzzheads are mythical creatures that provide life lessons in a gentle manner. Loveing support from family members, teamwork, strategies for finding the needed plant -- all terrific conversation starters. My 6 year old granddaughter enjoyed reading the book to me (about 1/3 of the words). I filled in the gaps, and explained concepts. Wish there was a fuzzhead hand puppet to accompany the stories.

Trau has been teaching Little Yau the ways of healing. Little Yau is hoping that soon the Wise Ones will take her up into the mountains to continue her education. Her healing skills are put to the test when her friend Trup falls ill. The Wise Ones reveal that Trup has been poisoned (by weed killer sprayed in a human's garden), and the only cure is the thumbfoot leaf. The white furred cat-like Fuzzheads creatively face the dilemma of living in close proximity to humans. When the Wise Ones and Little Yau need to search the nearby human town for the rare thumbfoot plant, they don human clothes to disguise themselves. The story is complemented by beautifully bright full-color illustrations. The smaller black and white sketches beside the text add details such as how Trup was poisoned and what Trau does to care for Trup while the others search for the thumbfoot leaf. Some of the illustrations are quite comical. Sure to generate giggles is the two-page spread of Little Yau attempting to run on two feet like a human, then giving up the pretense in favor of speed. Similarly delightful is the "Human Phrase Book" the Fuzzheads have studied in order to have (limited) conversations with humans.