This Caveboy has a crush. And boy does he have it bad! Neander is your typical kid: chases mammoth butterflies; plays with his pet rock, Rock; fishes and more. In fact, it is when he is fishing that he catches a glimpse of the most amazing, perfectly hairy gal. He would do anything to get Neanne’s attention. It is not until a comment from his mother to his father that Neander gets an idea on how to act on this thing called Crush.
Caveboy Crush is a book that when I first heard about it, I figured it was going to be dull. The story has been done before (boy meets girl, they become friends) so how could there be something new to tell about the story? The new is the way our caveboy tries to get our cavegirls attention. It is silly and typical “boy thoughts” about what a girl wants. But maybe Neanne is not your typical girl. Will these two young ones become friends? Or will their hopes be crushed?
Beth Ferry’s simple text captures a stereotype of what cavepeople might have been like and the narrator is the one that speaks in modern sentences, but it is not corny or quaint. It is cute, but not necessarily sugary cute. Is it a little over the top? Yes, but that is the charm. Some descriptions are corny (Waves of Salt for the ocean) and others less clever, but still fun. Joseph Kuefler has some unique and interesting illustrations that are either something you will love or be less than impressed with.
Ages 4 to 7 (low 8 who might struggle with reading) will most likely like the jokes that come from the word crush and adults will enjoy a story that is simple, but not overly simplistic. An anytime read.
