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Penny and the Yeti
YETI OR NOT, HERE WE COME! Penny and Yeti are pretty typical best they go to school together, play together, and have fun adventures. The twist? Yeti’s a living breathing myth!
Before Yeti, Penny had a super normal life with her big sister Peri and their parents, Fenton and Maxine. Penny thinks life is pretty great, especially when Peri draws and colors with her—Peri draws the best monsters called “cryptids!” The only real problem is Penny’s parents argue…a LOT. Penny wishes her parents would stop, but what can she do? That’s when Yeti shows up, right out of one of Peri’s drawings and smack into Penny’s life! With Yeti’s help, Penny comes up with a plan to get her parents to stop fighting. Penny, however, soon finds out that her parents may need more help than even a magical Yeti can provide…
Before Yeti, Penny had a super normal life with her big sister Peri and their parents, Fenton and Maxine. Penny thinks life is pretty great, especially when Peri draws and colors with her—Peri draws the best monsters called “cryptids!” The only real problem is Penny’s parents argue…a LOT. Penny wishes her parents would stop, but what can she do? That’s when Yeti shows up, right out of one of Peri’s drawings and smack into Penny’s life! With Yeti’s help, Penny comes up with a plan to get her parents to stop fighting. Penny, however, soon finds out that her parents may need more help than even a magical Yeti can provide…
128 pages, Hardcover
Published April 21, 2026
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
April 24, 2026
A sweet, funny, gorgeously illustrated graphic novel that touches on very important conversations that a lot of children will eventually want to have regarding parental arguments. I loved it!
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Penny hates her parents' constant arguing, and Peri, the older sister, has almost closed her ears to it as it's been going on so long. The father thinks the mother is a domineering, argumentative harridan; the mother thinks he lives on his mobile phone and couldn't care less about the family, listening to her or anything else not job-related. It looks like a lose-lose situation as everyone gets crabby and/or upset. But lo and behold, when Peri draws a yeti character it seems to come to life – and seems to have an ideal way to get Penny through the family's bad patch. But do fictional cryptids really have that skill?
This is pretty good – for one thing the dialogue of the parents is really well done, and seems to be based on truthful, realistic examples of the form known as bitchy bickering. Yes, it is fairly obvious what the yeti is there for, but the fact that Penny and it don't get their way and don't find a simple cure-all for the parents is proof that it's still going to be hard work for the two of them, and this is no fantasy.
So you leave this remembering the times when you might have longed for an emotional support yeti, even if it is not fully effective. Children readers will easily see themselves as one of the daughters here, and the artwork is certainly appealing to the young, as is the simplicity of reading what seems a long comic but is not too heavy with the word count. I wish it had gone further to explain what is imaginary and what is not – how, for example, the fake snow and so-on that our leads enjoy together works – but this is still four stars.
This is pretty good – for one thing the dialogue of the parents is really well done, and seems to be based on truthful, realistic examples of the form known as bitchy bickering. Yes, it is fairly obvious what the yeti is there for, but the fact that Penny and it don't get their way and don't find a simple cure-all for the parents is proof that it's still going to be hard work for the two of them, and this is no fantasy.
So you leave this remembering the times when you might have longed for an emotional support yeti, even if it is not fully effective. Children readers will easily see themselves as one of the daughters here, and the artwork is certainly appealing to the young, as is the simplicity of reading what seems a long comic but is not too heavy with the word count. I wish it had gone further to explain what is imaginary and what is not – how, for example, the fake snow and so-on that our leads enjoy together works – but this is still four stars.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Graphic Novel
I received an electronic ARC from Papercutz through NetGalley.
Readers meet two sisters who are struggling as their parents argue much of the time. The older sister, Peri, draws a Yeti for her younger sister, Penny, to help her find ways to cope with her feelings. To everyone's surprise, Yeti comes to life and joins their family. Penny and Yeti try different ways to make their parents stop fighting and focus on each other. Readers see them try ways that make sense to a child while Peri chooses not to participate. Families will identify with both coping styles. I appreciate how Peri finds her courage and shares what they are feeling with both parents. Gaspero shows the parents seeking help and working to save their marriage and their family. Wrapping over this serious topic is humor and fun. These are still children who have a Yeti for a friend! The fun comes through as they live their lives. Well done and a definite conversation starter for families coping with similar situations.
I received an electronic ARC from Papercutz through NetGalley.
Readers meet two sisters who are struggling as their parents argue much of the time. The older sister, Peri, draws a Yeti for her younger sister, Penny, to help her find ways to cope with her feelings. To everyone's surprise, Yeti comes to life and joins their family. Penny and Yeti try different ways to make their parents stop fighting and focus on each other. Readers see them try ways that make sense to a child while Peri chooses not to participate. Families will identify with both coping styles. I appreciate how Peri finds her courage and shares what they are feeling with both parents. Gaspero shows the parents seeking help and working to save their marriage and their family. Wrapping over this serious topic is humor and fun. These are still children who have a Yeti for a friend! The fun comes through as they live their lives. Well done and a definite conversation starter for families coping with similar situations.
Review of advance copy received from Author
This is a wonderful story! Well written and the art is fantastic. I appreciated the time that was taken to also show the relationship between the two sisters. The efforts of the older sister trying to provide care and comfort to the younger one. The younger sister wanting everyone to get along and to be able to hang out with her older sister. (The part where Penny was invited into her sister's room and the awe and excitement she had . . . I think all younger sisters can remember that feeling).
Yeti is genuine and adorable. That he came from the older sister's drawing, supports the relationship between the two sisters.
Overall, it is a touching, imaginative book that kids and families should all read.
Yeti is genuine and adorable. That he came from the older sister's drawing, supports the relationship between the two sisters.
Overall, it is a touching, imaginative book that kids and families should all read.
Review of advance copy received from NetGalley
Penny's parents fight a lot and she doesn't know what to do. She draws a yeti and it comes to life! Can the yeti help fix things? Penny finds out that there isn't an easy solution for all problems. I appreciated that the yeti did not come in everything was suddenly better because the conflict is a common one.
This was definitely longer than I expected, but that's on me for not checking. Since it is 100+ pages, I would recommend this for older kiddos; it would not make for a very easy read aloud. I really enjoyed the illustrations. They are very soft and whimsical.
Thanks to Papercutz and NetGalley for an eARC of this graphic novel. All opinions are my own.
This was definitely longer than I expected, but that's on me for not checking. Since it is 100+ pages, I would recommend this for older kiddos; it would not make for a very easy read aloud. I really enjoyed the illustrations. They are very soft and whimsical.
Thanks to Papercutz and NetGalley for an eARC of this graphic novel. All opinions are my own.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
Thank you to #NetGalley and the publisher for the early read of this book.
The book is about Penny and her parents who are not getting along and are constantly arguing. With the help of Yeti and Penny's sister they try to help their parents out and stop all the fighting. I feel the lesson this would teach kids is that parents sometimes just don't get along and even if they try no matter which decision parents decide things will work out in the end for the better.
The book is about Penny and her parents who are not getting along and are constantly arguing. With the help of Yeti and Penny's sister they try to help their parents out and stop all the fighting. I feel the lesson this would teach kids is that parents sometimes just don't get along and even if they try no matter which decision parents decide things will work out in the end for the better.
Review of advance copy received from Netgalley
4/5 Stars
I really enjoyed the book and the illustrations. The author did a great job weaving fun and fantasy into the serious topic of parents fighting. It was longer than I expected, so it’s definitely better suited for ages 6+.
I really enjoyed the book and the illustrations. The author did a great job weaving fun and fantasy into the serious topic of parents fighting. It was longer than I expected, so it’s definitely better suited for ages 6+.
April 28, 2026
A poignantly moving graphic novel about a little girl who is longing to fix her parents' relationship and is helped by a...Yeti? Yep! An adorable Yeti (drawn by her older sister) who magically and mysteriously comes to life.
There are little allusions sprinkled throughout that made me crack up while reading (Yeti's belief about the word date, for example). One of my personal favorite parts is when the mom discovers Yeti, and immediately worries about if they can afford to feed him. Such a mom thing!
I laughed and cried. As an educator, I would also recommend this to any family going through hard relationship times, especially the kids. It's comforting to see a life-like situation portrayed, and even though magic is front and center, magic is not what helps bridge the communication gap between the adults.
The only problem with this is that now my toddler wants a Yeti of her own.
There are little allusions sprinkled throughout that made me crack up while reading (Yeti's belief about the word date, for example). One of my personal favorite parts is when the mom discovers Yeti, and immediately worries about if they can afford to feed him. Such a mom thing!
I laughed and cried. As an educator, I would also recommend this to any family going through hard relationship times, especially the kids. It's comforting to see a life-like situation portrayed, and even though magic is front and center, magic is not what helps bridge the communication gap between the adults.
The only problem with this is that now my toddler wants a Yeti of her own.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2026
ARC Copy...Super cute and cozy feel and vibes, with the colourful illustrations greatly helping the vibe. I can feel for Penny wanting to escape the everyday arguments of her parents. We could all use a friend like Yeti.
Review of advance copy received from Publisher
Cute story about parents, friendship, family and listening.
Review of advance copy received from Author
Great read for kids and adults with kids. Well written and adorable illustrations
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews