Me Want Pet!

PreS-K—Though he lives in a far-removed prehistoric world, Cave Boy suffers from that classic dilemma: the desire for a pet despite parental resistance. The youngster has all of the basics—rocks, sticks, and a club—yet his life is not complete. "'Me sad,' said Cave Boy. 'Want pet.'" He searches the wilderness and brings home various primeval candidates. In response to the woolly mammoth, Mama says, "'He too big. Where he sleep?'" In response to the saber-toothed tiger, Papa says, "'Make me sneeze! No can stay.'" Even the dodo bird is rejected. "'No can keep! He no potty-trained,'" says Gran. But when Cave Boy's furry friends fend off a stampede of wild beasts, the child finally gets his wish. While the plot may be formulaic and the prehistoric human-animal relations as romanticized as a Tarzan film, Sauer has crafted a humorous read-aloud that's both age-appropriate and entertaining. Youngsters will likely be inspired by Sauer's play on primitive speech to repeat the silly sentences or to blurt out their own statements. Likewise, Cave Boy's unusual pets may inspire a sudden interest in saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths. Shea's electric illustrations, painted in thick, bold strokes with limited but well-chosen washes of color, seem to channel a primal mode of expression that intuitively suits this tale of cave life. Beginning with the cover image of a smiling, razor-toothed boy scribbling his own dream-pet illustrations, Sauer and Shea's collaboration will entice readers.—Jayne Damron, Farmington Community Library, MI