by David Elliott; illus. by Lori Nichols
40 pages; ages 3 & up
Boyds Mills Press, 2014
I love the way this book begins:
"This Orq.
He live in cave.
He carry club.
He cave boy."
Spare language that cuts right to the chase. You won't find adverbs floundering around on these pages; adjectives neither. On the other hand, that's what the pictures are for, right?
Orq has a pet. A woolly mammoth. It's a cute little guy, but it grows fast. And it's not housebroken. Worse yet, it smells, and Mother kicks it out of the cave.
Like any kid, Orq figures he can get his mother to love his pet mammoth if only mammoth can learn some tricks. If you've ever tried to impress a friend - or parent - with cute pet tricks, you already know that this is a sure way to have things run amok. In the end, the mammoth saves the day. I won't say how; suffice it to say it involves a saber-toothed tiger.
This is a great story for any kid who has brought a stray home and pleaded with parents to "let it stay". And it's just plain fun to read. Pair it up with How to Wash a Woolly Mammoth for a double-dose of the sillies, or delve into some nonfiction for a study on ice age animals. Review copy from publisher.
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