THE ABOMINABLE SNOW DANCER

Despite his tough-guy exterior, an abominable snowman has a secret passion for dance.

Otto deftly ascends mountains, endures fiercely frigid weather, and saves his friends from fearsome beasts. But what he really enjoys doing is dancing. He’s never seen a fellow yeti dance, so he indulges himself only in the privacy of home: “Dancing felt too big and shiny to ever happen to him.” Sometimes, the urge to twirl or pirouette slips out while Otto’s doing yeti things with his pals, but it always ends badly. One day he stumbles and falls down the mountain and right into the middle of a unicorn dance audition. Otto decides to try out, but the graceful unicorns are put off by his pungent odor and wild dance moves, and the director pronounces his audition “abominable.” As Otto walks away in disgrace, the lighting designer falls from the catwalk. Otto leaps up to save him, showing off his elegant moves in the process. Everyone wants to see him perform again, even Otto’s rough-and-tumble yeti buddies, who were drawn by the commotion. Books about yetis and unicorns are increasingly popular, and Lau’s debut holds its own in a crowded field. Kids with secret hobbies of their own will see themselves in the determined Otto and will cheer as he succeeds. Lau’s digitally created illustrations are cartoony, snowy, and full of pep.

A shaggy and silly story of self-discovery.