Caveboy Crush
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- $9.99
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- $9.99
Publisher Description
From New York Times bestselling author Beth Ferry and illustrator Joseph Kuefler comes the picture book Caveboy Crush, a sweet celebration of first love—perfect for Valentine’s Day and read-alouds all year long.
Neander is a young caveboy. He spends his days doodling on cave walls, chasing mammoth butterflies, and playing with his pet rock, Rock. But one day, he meets Neanne—and he’s CRUSHED! She’s short, she’s hairy, she’s perfect!
Neander does everything he can think of to get Neanne’s attention. He picks a bouquet for her from the Field of the Bees. He fetches a conch shell for her from the Waves of Salt. As Neander’s gestures get grander and grander, Neanne remains unimpressed. But then Neander hatches the grandest gesture of all, and it’s Neanne’s turn to do some crushing.
“Ferry’s joyful, plucky words practically guarantee exciting storytimes. Bolstered by Kuefler’s smooth, colorfully sparse pictures, Neander and Neanne’s story . . . delivers belly laughs amid mild twists and enormous fun. From CRUSH to AWW.” —Kirkus Reviews
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
When caveboy Neander spots a bow-and-arrow-toting, redheaded cavegirl named Neanne, he finds himself atwitter: "She was short./ She was hairy./ She was perfect," writes Ferry (Ten Rules of the Birthday Wish). He doesn't have a name for his new, swoony feelings, but his mother does: smashing some rocks with her club, she smiles and explains "CRUSH!" Neander sets about wooing Neanne with a series of offerings, each grander than the next; taking his mother at her word, he presents the tokens and then promptly obliterates them while shouting "CRUSH!" Initially put off by this behavior, Neanne is finally won over when he presents her with a larger-than-life ice sculpture "a work of art straight from the heart" that she can obliterate, too. The book doesn't take Neanne's comfort into account (she's clearly unhappy with the first two offerings), and it's more of an extended blackout gag than a story, a feeling Kuefler (The Digger and the Flower) reinforces with theatrical, single-plane vignettes. But Neander and Neanne's pert stockiness and wide-eyed mien are instantly winning, and few will be able to resist the urge to shout "CRUSH!" along with them both. Ages 4 8.
