Hi everyone, welcome back to Stockport Libraries Storytime. Today's story is the last in the titles for the key stage one category from Stockport Children's Book Awards and It's called. The Littllest Yak It's by Lu Fraser and Kate Hindley, published by Simon and Schuster. On the tip at the top of a mountain, all snowy, where the ice swirling, toe curling blizzards were blowing in a herd full of huddling yaks big and small lived Gertie, the littlest yak of them all. Now gertie was great at being a yak with the curliest whirliest wool on her back. She could clip clop up cliffs, no matter how slippy on little yak hooves that were splendidly grippy. yes, Gertie was all that a small yak should be. But, there isn't, she sighed. Any bigness in me, im the yak at the back, who is stuck in her smallness. I want to grow up and have greatness and tallness, with the hugest of hooves. And humongous horns, too. There isn't a thing that's a big yak can't do, but yaks mummy smiled, are all shapes and sizes and bigness can come in all sorts of disguises. Maybe one day you'll be huge you'll be tall. So don't rush to grow up, when it's great being small. yet as night tiptoed in and the stars filled the sky, from the heart of the herd Gertie sighed a huge sigh. hugeness and tallness seems so far away I don't want to be small I need bigness today. So Gertie began on a growing up plan and ate every veggie A little yak can. She patted up mountains She clattered down hills She hopped and she skipped and she never sat still. And she read lots of books to make her thoughts grow because grown ups have big things to think and to know. Although Gertie hoped and she wished and she tried the day slipped away No growing arrived. What if she sniffed I'm a yak who can't grow. And a salty tear plops from her cheek to the snow. But wait, What was that? Something was coming. a hundred yak hoof beats were steadily drumming and leading the herd in a snow flaky flurry was mummy yak grunting Oh Gertie, please hurry. Look up a yaks stock on the craggy cliff edge at the end of the narrowest rockiest ledge. Our hooves are too heavy our horns are too wide to squeeze on a ledge on the steep mountainside, but you are our littlest grippiest yak only you can squeeze up there and bring that yak back. You need me? Gertie gasped Because I'm so small. My smallness can do something big after all. And Gertie was off, there was no time to waste, over the ice frosted rocks in great haste. up higher and higher leaping and springing, then on to the ledge where a yak shape was clinging. Oh, Gertie squealed as stopped in her tracks. Why you're the tiniest weeniest teeny of yaks. I wanted to clip clop up cliffs the yak shivered, but I'm not very grippy. and his teeny horns quivered. Well gripping smiled Gertie is what I do best. Just hold on tightly and I'll do the rest. So onto her back The teeniest yak lept and down through the rocks and the ice Gertie swept. Hoe to the herd far below cheering loudly. Gertie, you did it. They all grunted proudly. The teeniest yak would be stuck without you. There are some things that only a small yak can do. and Gertie was wrapped in a warm wooly hug and into her ear mummy whispered with love, as sure as the stars in the glittering sky. You'll be all grown up in the blink of an eye, but it's here, and it's now whilst you're wonderfully small that you found you've got bigness inside, after all, and as Gertie gazed up at the moons silver light, being small. The little yak smiled is all right. I am just the right size. That a Gertie should be. I am perfectly little. I'm perfectly me. Well, thank you for joining us and there is more information on Stockport Children's book awards and how you can vote for your favourite in the description of the video will see you again soon, Bye.