The Littlest Llama

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1402752776 ISBN 13: 9781402752773

Publisher: Union Square Kids, 2008

The littlest llama has a problem one that every child will understand. He’s eager to wrestle, jump, and chase all day, but there’s no friend nearby who wants to play. 
the grown-up llamas had work to do. They had food to find and cud to chew...There was no one to play with the littlest llama.
No one had time, not even his mama.”
So the dejected little guy sets off without a goodbye in search of a playful pal. Soon he’s crossing the ridges and bridges of the high altiplano where he lives. But is he going too far? And who will he find?
The charming Andean-themed art features soft and gentle hues, as well as beautiful page borders that look like traditional weavings. Plus, they turn llama’s journey into a fun game, as kids try to locate the rattlesnake, chinchilla, cougar, and other animals in the images. A preoccupied llama may not notice them but children will find the varied and unusual creatures irresistible.
The satisfying ending will delight everyone, and every child will relate to llama’s desire for a playmate and joy at a new sibling.

From Booklist:

Up on the altiplano, the littlest llama wants to have fun, but the other llamas are busy. He sets off on a short journey to find playmates, but something “fierce and orange and round like the sun” (a child’s ball) chases him, and he scurries home, frightened. There, a surprise awaits: a new baby llama to play with, and also, most important, Mama’s comforting cuddle. Though somewhat lengthy, the descriptive rhyming text will make a lively read-aloud, while the beautiful, intricately detailed color illustrations extend each scenario. In shifting multiple perspectives, the art shows expressive llamas and other creatures to seek and find in the beautiful landscapes. Throughout, the text and art give a strong sense of llama behavior, from dust bathing to neck wrestling, and incorporate South American cultural elements, including each spread’s textile-style page borders with llama motifs. Children will enjoy and sympathize with the cute little llama and relate to his feelings of boredom, loneliness, and reassuring relief when he’s back in the comfort of family and home. Preschool-Grade 2. --Shelle Rosenfeld