Meet the Bigfeet

The Yeti Files #1

by Kevin Sherry

A hilarious new chapter book series from the bestselling author/illustrator of I'M THE BIGGEST THING IN THE OCEAN.

Blizz Richards is a great guy, a caring boss, and a loyal friend. Oh, yeah...he's also a yeti! He's made it his life's mission to study cryptids like him, hidden animals who have taken a powerful oath to never be seen by the outside world.

So when a photo of Cousin Brian becomes a media sensation, Brian can't handle the guilt and disappears. But it's time for the annual Bigfoot family reunion, and it won't be the same without him. Luckily, Blizz and his devoted team are on the case. Can they find their furry friend before their secret gets out for good?

In Kevin Sherry's hilarious new illustrated series, you'll meet a wide array of weird and wacky cryptids, from goblins and Goatman to skunk apes and Sasquatch--animals that you don't believe exist. And it's up to Blizz to keep it that way!

Genres: Fantasy, Graphic Novels, Humor, Childrens, Middle Grade, Fiction, Chapter Books

128 pages, Hardcover

First published September 8, 2014

Reviews

[Ms. B · Rating 5 out of 5]

Awesome and epic! Dav Pilkey's blurb on the front cover says it best, " . . . a big bunch of fun!"
Fans of Mercy Watson, Captain Underpants, and anyone who likes a good humorous story (with lots of illustrations!) will enjoy The Yeti Files: Meet the Bigfeet, the first book in what appears to be a new series.

[✦BookishlyRichie✦ · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 STARS!!

I got this in the February "Wild Magic" Owlcrate Jr. box. It looked like a quick and fun read so I went ahead and sat down and read it. It took me about 30 mins to get through and it had tons of awesome illustrations. It was funny, cute, and fun read. I think if you have a bro/sis or son/daughter who loves funny chapter books, they would get a kick out of this one and so will you. :)

- Richard

*Even though I mentioned Owlcrate Jr. and do receive free boxes for review, I am not being compensated for this review. Thanks!

[Brandy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I requested a copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. I have another of Kevin Sherry's books, I'm The Biggest Thing in the Ocean, and the kids and I both love his artwork from this preschool book. The Yeti Files does not disappoint. This book is packed full of funny and creative illustrations for young readers. I would recommend this book for children who are ready to move beyond stages reading books but not quite ready for the amount of words in a typical chapter book. There are 100+ pages of reading, and the story is engaging and also shares a moral. The book addresses feelings of embarrassment, how to handle a situation when you make a mistake, and treating others fairly. I would recommend for kids in grades 1-3 depending on ability. This is a great book for boys but my daughter loved it as well.

[Mehsi · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am so happy I bought this one when I spotted it at the second-hand part of the book store I was at on Saturday.

I was already flipping through it when I spotted it, so I knew it had a lot of potential to be great. And it was! It is about Blizz. Sounds like a normal guy? Right? But actually Blizz is a Yeti! And he is trying to hide his existence (there is some sort of pact set by all the cryptids in the world) and live the good life.

As the book continues we see a bit more of Blizz's life, but we also see that not everything is sunshine and roses. Actually there is someone who wants to show the world there are truly cryptids! A very annoying man named Vanquist. And boy, I disliked him very much from the moment I saw him. He was just thinking about fame, about money, and didn't care he may hurt someone or endanger a whole cryptid family. Plus add to that him being very mean to his dog.

Thankfully our cryptids have some good friends/assistants who are willing to help out with defeating this guy. I loved what they did and how the book ended! Hopefully this means we won't be seeing Vanquist in a long time.

I loved seeing all the other cryptids (like Sasquatch or a unicorn (though poor unicorn for being used as a taxi service)). Add to that I loved their hideouts. Blizz's especially has an epic hideout with all sorts of fun things (Climbing wall! Bookshelves full of comics!), I can imagine you may not want to leave that place.

Since this is a graphic novel, the book is filled to the brim with illustrations/comics. I really love the style of the art.

All in all, I would recommend this one, and I hope I can find the other books in this series!

Review first posted at https://twirlingbookprincess.com/

[Therése Åström · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rating by my 9 year old son, but I enjoyed it too! He didn’t give it five stars because he wanted it to be longer. We enjoyed the drawings and thought it was a fun read!

[Joy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good choice for a transitional reader.

[kim · Rating 2 out of 5]

Cute but not amazing

[Michelle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think some of my students would absolutely love this because it's funny, easy to follow, and quick to read.

[Christina (Confessions of a Book Addict) · Rating 4 out of 5]

This chapter book is so much fun and perfect for reluctant readers. My son and I read this one together (as a read aloud) and we both enjoyed it. I loved the humor and my son loved all the fun monsters in the book. The illustrations were also really great! We are looking forward to continuing with the series.

[Fatimah · Rating 4 out of 5]

I used to not like to read blithe or fantasy books as always. But I wanted to try something new and it was good start. I really liked the book how is it entertaining and talk about how can you make new friends easily by being a kind and smiley person. the book is about the "yeti" is a yeti a man? no, is a yeti a ape? no.
he's an creature has powerful paws, gigantic hear, loud mouth, fur coat, IQ somewhere between Einstein and a land tortoise, friendly demeanor, bottomless pit belly, stinky elephant feet, and sticky fingers. the yeti is so friendly to people and kind to them which this is the easy way to make people like and wants to be a friend with you. He likes to make new friends, moreover his friends as same as him , he also lives in cold up areas, additionally he has a huge cave that he lives in with huge protects he

[Susan Dunn · Rating 2 out of 5]

Blizz Richards is a yeti. He lives in the mountains of Nepal in a secret lair equipped with comic books, a tire swing and a hot tub. Yetis are a kind of cryptid - hidden animals whose existence has never been proven. The Loch Ness Monster is a cryptid, as are mermaids, leprechauns and Bigfoot. Blizz and all of the other cryptids have taken a vow never to be seen by the outside world. Blizz and his family used to have a big reunion every year at his cousin Brian's house in Canada. Everyone would come to play volleyball, go on the zipline and have cookouts. But then Brian was accidentally spotted by a human, who took his picture. Overnight, Brian was all over the papers. He was so embarrassed and ashamed that he'd broken the oath of secrecy that he disappeared into the woods, never to be seen again. All of this was the fault of Cryptozoologist George Vanquist, the person who took the photo of Brian. Since then, Vanquist has continued to try and find more cryptids and get more photos - making himself a thorn in the side of the entire cryptid community. But this year Blizz has decided that enough is enough - he's going to find Brian and get him back to the reunion, annoying photographers or not!

[Becky B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Blizz is a yeti. He's a kind of cryptid. Cryptids are really big on staying out of the public eye. So it is tricky to do things like get together for family reunions, but Blizz and his cousins still like to make the effort. This year, though, cousin Brian the bigfoot accidentally got spotted and photographed by a crazy old man who now thinks himself a cryptozoologist. Will the family reunion be safe from the prying eyes of a man with a camera? And just where has Brain gotten to? Blizz and his friends will work hard to make sure the reunion goes off swimmingly.

I kept debating back and forth on which age group this feels like it is aimed at. On the one hand, the text is extremely spare and the plot does not get a ton of depth. It's almost like the outline for a longer story. On the other hand, it uses some higher vocabulary lower grade readers would struggle to even sound out. So I'm guessing it is aimed at the reluctant middle grade reader crowd, but I could see some lower graders liking this. It was diverting, but didn't wow me. It was definitely a super fast read which can be a good thing, and I liked the mythical creatures.

No content issues.

[Raina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute silly illustra-hybrid featuring a Bigfoot and a Cryptozoologist by the author of beloved picture books such as I'm the Biggest Thing in the Ocean.
Meant to take it out the elementary schools, but it didn't make the list this year.

The Sasquatch are more monster-like than humanoid. There is an off-duty Santa's elf, too - this isn't taking cryptoscience seriously at all (wink wink). There's a lack of internal logic, which is fine and fun, but didn't scratch all of my itches, coming from the land of the Sasquatch.
It's like if The 13-Story Treehouse was combined with something like The Abominables.

Fun, silly, slight, good for the audience. Just wish it was all in color.

[Kristine Hall · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elementary kids are going to love this series. The characters are mostly cryptids -- hidden animals whose existence has never been proven, and who have all taken oaths of secrecy. As you might imagine, the cryptids are a colorful and kind group who just want to do their thing without the pesky PEOPLE trying to ruin their existence.

The drawings are fun and there is lots of detail on each page for readers to study as they get to know the yeti and other cryptids. (The yeti faces reminded me of the critters you see on Sponge Bob episodes.)

THE YETI FILES is fun and funny, but also has some nice sneaky little lessons slipped in, including some on respect, forgiveness, and even geography! I look forward to the next installment, which may just take readers to Scotland to meet the Lochness Monster.

Thank you to Shelf Awareness, the author, and Scholastic for providing me this free galley copy in exchange for my honest review -- the only kind I give!

[Jess · Rating 4 out of 5]

Blizz sets out to a family reunion of the Bigfeet brothers and sisters. Along the way they discover that cousin Brian had his photo captured by a photographer that is determined to prove that Bigfoot is real. In this comedic junior novel with distinct fun touch in the illustrations that sold it for me. Similar in style to "Scaredy squirrel" in that there are certain objects and things pointed out in the illustrations for the viewer. Worth a good laugh. Good boy book although girls would like it too.

[Georgette Quinn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Randomly chose this book for my daughter, who loves graphic novels. I know this isn't really classified as a graphic novel. I'm not sure what you would call it. It is a chapter book/picture book. At any rate, she loved it and told me that I had to read. This reminds me of the fun Bad Kitty series. We are hoping that The Yeti Files is a long lasting series. We found it funny and charming. I loved that one of the messages is to treat your dog right! We love this book!

[Cara · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book seems appropriate for grades 2-4. I feel like it was fast paced, humorous, and very easy to read. It was a cute book and the characters were really likeable. I could see this book being checked out by children ages seven through twelve who enjoy animals, humor, comic books, and action. This book is a mix between a comic book and a chapter book. It would be fun to use in a program involving cryptozoology. (Review by Amanda Curless)

[Andy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a fun book for young readers, filled with goofy characters and nice artwork. It also has some pretty good lessons on friendship and minding your own business, but it's probably the type of book a kid would read only once (unless he/she wants to practice drawing some of the book's characters).

[Lauren Hockaday · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about Blizz Richards and his cryptid friends. When George Vanqulst takes a picture of Blizz's cousin Brian he runs away. They have to go to Canada to find him

I really like this book because it is soooooooo cute. The character Gunthar is the best thing in the book. And the unicorn is also cool.

[Daniel Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I like nice not monster just smile play without party fun social. They one person men human wanted are live where old house or monster reason have to get photo camera please hold on that camera give to who am Blizz ncie with friend?

[Stephanie P (Because My Mother Read) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. I read this with my 4 year old son and he had fun with it. There are plenty of pictures and not too much text. It's kind of a blend between chapter book and comic book with a very similar appeal to the popular Bad Guys book series. The setting/premise was unique and fun.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids adore this book because it's "easy" but has a more complex sense of humor.

[Laurian · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good read for Cam. The comic book style was a little difficult but he likes the pictures that went with that style much more than the other pages.

[Elisabeth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Funny like Dav Pilkey but maybe for a slightly younger crowd who has yet to explore the joys of toilet humor. Can't wait for the next one.

[Jennifer Wolf · Rating 5 out of 5]

Corbin: I like how there's a wrench in Blizz's stomach, and how his dog can do lots of tricks. It's a really funny and good book.

[Barry Li · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has so much fun with a lots of unusual but wonderful thinking.

[Piecance · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved this book because it was funny, it was interesting, and it had a lot of drama!!! You need to read this book!!!

[Rebecca Caufman · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked Yeti but not the evil villain...he was too unkind.

[AGirlAmongstBooks (Jess Green) · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 9 year old dislikes reading (MUCH to my chagrin). He has to read 20 minutes every evening for homework. So, you can imagine it's a struggle. I was shopping and picked this book up on a whim, hoping it might be something he liked. My son read this book in a few days (which is a HUGE deal). He would read a few pages in the morning on the way to school and a few pages in the car on the way home from school. He wasn't even 1/2 way through the book when he asked if there were more in the series. I could have almost cried from the excitement of him asking that! I immediately went and ordered the other 2 in the series. Thank you, Kevin Sherry for writing these books! You've shown my son that just because someone doesn't necessarily enjoy reading all the time, doesn't mean they can't/won't enjoy it when they do read!

[Stefanie Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

Silly series starter where Blizz, the Yeti, gets invited to his family reunion. The reader learns a lot about where he lives and how Blizz and a large number of other “imaginary” creatures have all signed a pack to not be caught. No one must have proof of their existence.

Blizz is excited about his reunion but first must find his cousin who has run away since a photo of him has been leaked to the public. There are several other characters and we meet a lot of them including an arch nemesis. It’s not quite a chapter book and not quite a graphic novel. Nice blend for readers getting ready for chapter books.