Himalaya

High in the Himalaya, Yangshi's mother is making a rice drink to trade at the market. For Sherpas and Tibetans, trading is a means of sharing their crops and goods with others who live throughout the mountain chain.Yanghsi's family also takes some of the rice drink to the monastery as a gift for the monks. Sherpas and Tibetans live simply, in harmony with the world around them. Yangshi's people believe life is an endless circle that goes around and around, as symbolized by the prayer wheel she spins at the monastery.

JAN REYNOLDS is an award-winning author and photographer of children's books whose work has also appeared in numerous publications, including National Geographic, The New York Times, and Outside magazine. An avid skier, mountain climber, and adventurer, Reynolds enjoys traveling the world and immersing herself in little-known cultures. She lives with her husband and their two sons in Stowe, Vermont.