Comic style graphic novel about a family of Neanderthals. The main characters are the kids- particularly Andy, who really wants to join the grownups on a mammoth hunt, resents having to look after his baby brother, and has a crush on a slightly older girl in the small group. Through their daily life adventures, the reader learns more about what it was like in the Stone Age- what Neanderthals probably ate, wore, how they made tools, etc. It’s cute and funny. Andy sneaks after the adults to watch one of the hunts, and is nauseated by seeing the actual mammoth getting killed, and the butchering afterwards. The kids are supposed to watch their baby brother at one point, but he wanders off and then they’re desperate to find him again- before something bad happens. The sister Lucy gets tasked with making clothes from the mammoth skins, and creates a new style that others are reluctant to appreciate. And so on. At the end they encounter a group of humans, some of them are trusting and willing to be friendly, others suspicious if the humans have sinister motives. I thought the part about cave art was pretty amusing- created simply because the kids were bored during a rainy spell (not as some grand symbolism or magic).
In between bits of story are pages showing present-day scientists discussing things, explaining to the reader what the current facts are about Neanderthals, and how much is just speculation. At the end is an even longer section that details more clearly what parts the author made up (Neanderthals would not have had pet cats for example- even though this one is supposed to be a scimitar cat runt). I liked this book a lot more than I expected to. It was engaging and fun, and I learned a bunch of stuff. Not only does it do a good job of dispelling stereotypical ideas about Neanderthals, but it shows how kids back then were just like kids today in many regards- not wanting to do their chores, having trouble getting along, reluctant to try new foods . . . There’s at least one sequel, about how they survive in the winter- I might just look for that.
2 Responses
This sounds like one I’d enjoy, I really like realistic Neanderthal stories. Nice to see the boy’s reaction to what an actual hunt and butchering must have been like.
I’m on the third book in the series now! Sometimes it has moments when the characters do things that appear too modern, but I think it would just serve to get kids even more engaged in this story. And it’s pretty funny and educational too.