THE ADVENTURES OF CAVEBOY

Club in hand, Caveboy can do anything!

Caveboy lives with his mother, father, little sister (all pale-skinned), and smiling pet rock in a cave (obviously). His most important possession is his club; every caveperson needs a club. Clubs are good for thumping most things (just not mammoths) and reaching things (but maybe not beehives). The best thing that clubs are good for is playing baseskull (in which an evidently human skull acts as ball). Caveboy is very confident in his baseskull skills. He asks Mama to play catch with him…he’s not very good. She tells him to practice, but he doesn’t need it. He gets Papa to pitch to him; turns out Caveboy isn’t much good as a batter, but he still doesn’t want to practice. When he gets his little sister to pitch to him (still without practice), the unthinkable happens: his club breaks, setting up the second story in this three-episode volume, in which she searches for a new club and meets a new friend, a girl with dark skin. Bardhan-Quallen adds another funny series to Bloomsbury’s line of transitional readers. The simple sentences, use of repeated words, and ample white space make this a great first step away from early readers for those approaching chapters. Here, each chapter’s a self-contained story. Wight’s full-color watercolor-appearing illustrations are jewel-eyed, cartoony, and fun. Sequel Caveboy Is Bored! publishes simultaneously.

Will likely please little cavepersons.