Caveman: A B.C. Story (review)

It starts with an acorn, chased by a squirrel that’s chased by a caveman. A bear, rival for the acorn, chases the pair into a cave, which is occupied by a dinosaur, which eats the acorn, causing the squirrel to faint from fright. Our lead players have barely recovered from the shock of this initial episode when the caveman finds an armadillo caught in ice. Freed several letters later as the ice melts, the armadillo is now caveman’s new friend, following him around on a leash. They run from the dino, are saved by a pterodactyl, land in a tree, and after the caveman is nearly fried by a lightning bolt (x-ray), the whole cast makes friends (Yay!) and snuggles together for a night’s shut-eye (Zzzz). The pudgy, button-eyed cartoon crew are adorably emotive, tossed together in a most improbable Paleozoic milieu. The situational humor is easy for pre-readers to follow, while broad context clues and mostly monosyllabic “text” assist emergent readers in decoding. Comedy and reading levels are pitched to the Jan Thomas crowd, and kids who are cutting their literary teeth on her Rhyming Dust Bunnies (BCCB 1/09) and Shannon’s No, David (BCCB 9/98) should find this a hoot.