The Children’s Book Review | March 12, 2014
Caveman, ABC Story
Story and Illustrations by Janee Trasler
Age Range: 2-4
Hardcover: 26 Pages
Publisher: Sterling Children’s Books (April 2, 2013)
ISBN-13: 978-1454908692
What to expect: Alphabet, Humor, Wit
A funny, one-word-at-a-time story, about cavemen, dinosaurs, and the alphabet.
This book offers a creative twist on alphabet books by bridging the world of infant board books and more elaborate storybooks. The story centers on a caveman running from a dinosaur, with the narrative told only with a single word on each page. These words begin with the letter A, B, C, progressively, all the way to Z. On the first page, for instance, we meet our caveman hero, chasing a squirrel that is after an Acorn. On the next page, a Bear has emerged, who chases both squirrel and caveman into a Cave. This ABC story then proceeds through the rest of the alphabet, as a Dinosaur comes out of the cave to Eat the acorns, causing the squirrel to Faint. Eventually, the caveman is forced to Run from the dinosaur, up a Tree, down a Vine, until all the characters, at day’s end, become friends and find their restful sleep (Zzzz).
The illustrations, by Janee Trasler—who is also the author of the story—offer a great analog to the story. Lots of bright, energetic colors to compliment the fast-pace of the word-by-word story. A great benefit of the story is that children quickly learn the words and, depending on age, may even start to spell them out, since each word is so prominently displayed on each page.
This is a great addition to the Alphabet book genre, with lots of wit and creativity along the way.
Add this book to your collection: Caveman, ABC Story , by Janee Trasler
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Video Trailer
About the Author
Janee Trasler’s whimsical illustrations have appeared in books, magazines, newspapers, billboards, cartoons, products, and the occasional cave wall. She lives in Grapevine, Texas, with her husband and two dogs, Bucky and Max. For more information, visit: www.trasler.com
Caveman, ABC Story , by Janee Trasler, was reviewed by Trevor Jockims. Follow along with our book reviews and articles tagged with Janee Trasler and our Alphabet Books and Picture Book categories to discover more great kids books.
