Bigfoot Mountain

Living in the remote North American mountains, Minnie and her step father, Dan, are struggling to come to terms with the loss of Minnie’s mother. One day, she and her friend, Billy, discover some mysterious footprints -giant footprints- on a mountainside trail which Minnie is determined to investigate. Meanwhile, Kaayii, a young Sasquatch, and his clan have been driven across the mountain by forest fires. As their worlds collide, they must seek to understand one another as they find a way forward.

There are many things to love about this story. Full of beautiful descriptions of the landscape and nature, the book is a real love letter to the wild- perfect for sharing with children and encouraging their curiosity in the environment and all its wonders.

It is not surprising, therefore, that living in harmony with the natural world and considering the impact of human actions on the environment are central ideas to the story. Switching between the Sasquatch and human viewpoints, the reader can readily empathise with all the characters, absorbing the environmental ‘message’ which is skilfully embedded at the heart of the story.

Children (and adults!) might also be inspired to find out more about Sasquatch (See my Q and A with Roderick for suggestions of where to start!) or the remote setting of the story. ‘Bigfoot Mountain’ would make an excellent guided reading test, offering a compelling story with plenty to enjoy and discuss, research opportunities and lots of inspiration for children’s own writing.

Bigfoot Mountain Roderick O’Grady

Firefly Press ISBN: 978-1913102418

You can read my interview with Roderick O’Grady here.