This was a Superb Book, very well written. Something Else was really cute and we would love to meet him. We have written to Kathryn Cave and hope to hear from her soon. Tunstead Primary School year 2 pupils.

This book offers children a subtle message about friendship and the acceptance of others' differences. Also, the cute illustrations make it easy for younger children to follow the storyline. My 2 year old loves me to read this book to her over and over again. Well worth the money!

Bittersweet. Ironic. Touching without the usual heaviness of Politically Correct children's books.

Our family enjoyed this book, which is an imaginative story about the first cave painting. A tribe is starving and suffering with a lack of food and enduring a drought. The tribe's shaman has died and she passed the job onto her adolescent daughter named Mishoo. Fearing this responsibility, she has chosen not to "catch dreams" which is apparently the cause of both the drought and the lack of hunting success. Finally Mishoo follows the commands given by her mother and grandmother in her dreams...she goes to a sacred cave. Once in the cave she builds a fire and sees how the rock walls seem to come alive with shapes of animals. She uses her gathered clays to paint the walls.

The writing is poetic and eerie. The illustrations are gorgeous and set the mood perfectly.

When Mishoo returns to her tribe after three days of painting, it has just begun to rain. The rain will stimulate growth of the grasses, which will lure the animals back to the land. It ends by saying their hunting was successful and the tribe is thriving again.

Both the writing and the artwork drew us in and made us feel a part of the story. This is the first fiction historical book for children that I have found. It is the perfect addition to our homeschool curriculum for learning about early man and cave paintings.

Both my 3 and 5 year old boys enjoyed this story, although I needed to explain some of the passages such as what "moon of the singing grass" and "dream catcher" meant. I loved the way the author captured an artist's imagination and ability to imagine and "see" the finished piece before even starting work on it, how the rock walls seemed to speak to her and how she then created what she already saw in her mind's eye. This type of explanation is seldom seen in children's literature; I appreciated that.

A list of suggested related readings and background information about cave paintings are included at the end of the book.

We read this after borrowing it from the public library and we loved it so much, we must own a copy for our home library!

FIRST PAINTER literally took my breath away. It is a truly powerful and beautiful picture book--the words, the illustrations, and the design. I've read it three times in a row and I love it more with each rereading. FIRST PAINTER is Lasky's fictional story about what she imagines could have been the first cave painter. The story is told from the perspective of Mishoo, a young girl who is the shaman for her prehistoric tribe. There is a severe drought and their tribe is dying ("My younger sister, Erloo, is so thin her wrists are like twigs."). Mishoo must visit the cave of the she-tiger in one last attempt to bring water to her people. There, in the cave, the walls seem to come alive to Mishoo with their shadows and indents. She uses a fire stick and the colors from her spirit bundle to draw horses and bison and the she-tiger. She gathers energy from her paintings and finally emerges days later to clouds--"immense and woolly against the horizon." Rain has arrived, and so too has Mishoo's passion to paint again and again!

I've enjoyed Lasky's books for many years, but she has outdone herself this time. This book is brilliant--the words are simple, yet poetic and powerful. The first-person telling pulls me into the story (as close as I can come to being there in prehistoric times). The whole idea for the book is thought-provoking and should encourage many children's discussions and imaginings about not only who painted the first picture, but who started the first language (with words or gestures?), who made the first fire (by accident or on purpose?). Is the "need" for artistic expression solely a human need? On and on.

This is my first experience with Rocco Baviera's illustrations, but they won't be my last--what a master! He used bear grease, animal fur, raw earth pigments, and more to create his primitive and powerful images. They are achingly, hauntingly beautiful; and they perfectly capture the spirit of the first paintings and the first painter.

I expect to see this book on many award lists. Thank you, Kathryn Lasky, Rocco Baviera, Melanie Kroupa, & Chris Hammill Paul (DK Ink)--what a gift you have given the world!

I have always loved the Trixie Belden series, but unfortunately they went out of print before I could get them all. I am 22 and an avid collector now. If anyone knows a good source for finding them, then let me know. The whole series is wonderful for young adults (guys and gals)and is exiciting as well as entertaining without going either the sex route or the violence/blood route.

This particular book happens to be one of my favorites. Trixie, Jim, Honey, Brian, and Mart journey to the Ozark mountains to stay with the Belden's Uncle Andrew (The Happy Valley Mystery). While there, they learn how to spelunk, catch a thief, and of course do something to help the less fortunate. 5 stars and a definite must-read for Bob-White fans.

We had these books in the library at school. these are great books for getting children interested in mysteries

The Boy Who Became an Eagle, written by Kathryn Cave and illustrated by Nick Maland, tells the story of an extraordinary boy who learns to fly and how his life makes a drastic change. This young man lives in a small community that is going though a rough time. He decides to fly away on his own and experience what the world has to offer. A traveling showman who runs a type of extraordinary-people show discovers him and makes him the main attraction. Soon the boy becomes homesick and wants to return home, but is abducted and held hostage until he outsmarts the criminals. At the end of the book the boy is back with his family and happy to be home. This book can fit into the fantasy genre or the realism genre. The story of the young boy is fantastic because he discovers that he can fly. He does not use wings; he just jumps from a mountain and keeps on gliding through the air. The storyline fits into the dream that many people have to be able to fly with the birds. He also uses his abilities to earn money being in a circus-type environment. The story fits the realism category because of the realistic settings of the towns and countryside. There is also the dynamic of the homesickness and the family love felt by the boy even when he is away. He also uses realistic ideas to outsmart the thieves when he is abducted. They believe that the wings made by the circus man are the reason that the boy can fly. The boy knows that the real ability lies in himself and when the thieves try to throw the boy out of a window he just simply keeps flying all the way home. The book shows aspects of both genres, but is a perfect combination to make the story fantastical and believable at the same time. With a fantastic flying ability the boy is able to return home to his realistic family and community.

Out for the Count is the kind of book that wins in all respects.The prose is accessible but not over simplified. The pictures are dramatic but with a touch of humour. The story is simple;while the tension develops to a (hopefully)pleasing conclusion. It combines an interesting story with an opportunity to develop counting skills. It can be read and re-read without ever losing its special appeal. My first son,Tom,who is now nearly 12,grew up surrounded by books,from an early age. "Out for the Count",featuring his namesake,in all kinds of dicey,imaginary situations stood out as his favourite bedtime read. It helped to ignite a love of books that has led him to challenging literature of many kinds. I have no hesitation in recommending this book for children from 5 to 8/9 years.

My class and I enjoyed the art in this book. It gives them a black-line master that starts the picture from a famous artist. From there, they finish it with their imagination. It gives you a drawing prompt to get your classes' imagination flowing. My disappointment is that it doesn't give the history of any of the artists or the paintings. It does have the original art printed on the back cover, but it is too small to share with the class. All in all it is a useful book for art activities for the upper grade child.