Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
``Long, long ago,'' Kip the cave boy re-christens Paleowolf, a helpful, ever-hungry animal companion--and man's best friend is born. Ages 4-8. (Aug.) (c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
(c) Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved
Review by School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1 A simple, imaginative tale of how the first domestication of a wild animal may have occurred. Kip, a cave boy living at the end of the Ice Age, is followed on his journey home by a Paleowolf, who, smelling the boy's roasted Woolly Rhino bones, begs for a treat. Each time the boy stops to rest and eat, the wolf hound senses danger and flees, saving the boy's life, too. After Paleowolf warns him of a fearsome Saber-Toothed Cat, the boy makes a deal with himhe will exchange some of his food for the animal's protective senses. The book's glorious watercolor illustrations will attract young prehistory enthusiasts, for amidst the melting ice floes roam the mighty Mammoth, the Wild Horse, the Woolly Rhino and other denizens of the Pleistocene period. Each scene appears on a ``canvas'' stretched across two pages. Borders show wood and stone carvings, cave paintings, and artifacts. Side panels on several illustrations show the dangers that Kip avoids by heeding Paleowolf's warnings. This is another of Brett's lavish offerings, intricately designed and filled with eye-catching detail. However, it is a fabricated story told with authority, featuring a modern-looking boy amidst authentic-looking animals and scenery. Children familiar with the ever-growing body of factual material on this period may accept it as the truth, despite its accompanying notes. Susan Scheps, Shaker Heights Public Library, Ohio (c) Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
(c) Copyright Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Review by Kirkus Book Review
With her usual skillful technique and loving attention to detail, Brett illustrates a lame, poorly imagined story about how a paleolithic boy (Kip) might have tamed a wolf and named it Dog. Lured by the smell of roast meat, the hungry, full-grown wolf follows the boy--begging for food and warning him of predators, both likely (sabre-toothed ""cat"") and unlikely (mammoth--surely a vegetarian); meanwhile, Kip taunts him. Finally, although this has otherwise been a realistic story, Kip asks the wolf to guard him in exchange for food; we are to believe that a wagging tail signifies acquiescence. Brett's designs may indeed be inspired by surviving cave paintings and artifacts, but her story is too implausible: Kip's teasing presupposes the wolfs friendliness, and the wolf behaves as if he were already tame; moreover, it seems likely that the first wolves to be domesticated were cubs. For an imaginative fantasy about this subject, go back to Kipling's wonderful ""The Cat That Walked by Himself. Copyright ©Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
