Caveboy Crush

August 15, 2019
Caveboy meets cavegirl in Ferry and Kuefler's rambunctious tale. Neander is a "typical caveboy," whether he's chasing giant mammoth butterflies or spending time with his beloved pet rock, Rock. Then he spots Neanne, a short and hairy--thus, "perfect"--cavegirl. After a little grinning and groaning, which his parents correctly diagnose as symptoms of a "crush," a smitten Neander runs off to court the elusive cavegirl. He first heads to the Field of Bees to snatch some flowers. In front of Neanne, Neander plops down the flowers and then...CRUSH! He obliterates the flowers. An unimpressed Neanne dashes away, leaving behind a disappointed Neander. It's time for a "grander" plan. Next up is the Waves of Salt, where Neander scoops out a massive conch shell. He struts back to Neanne, deposits his offering beside her house, and then...CRUSH! Unsurprisingly, Neander's attempts at romance are not successful, but half the fun of the story comes from his efforts to impress his eventual new friend. Though the premise relies on traditional gender roles to a disappointing degree, Ferry's joyful, plucky words practically guarantee exciting storytimes. Bolstered by Kuefler's smooth, colorfully sparse pictures, Neander and Neanne's story--a mini-saga between two bushy-haired, light-skinned prehistoric children--delivers belly laughs amid mild twists and enormous fun. From CRUSH to AWW. (Picture book. 4-8)

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September 16, 2019
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.

November 1, 2019

PreS-Gr 1-When Neander meets cute redhead Neanne, he blushes and crushes hard. His initial attempts to express his feelings leave her unimpressed, and a bit confused, but gradually, they do prompt a more favorable reaction. Each cycle has the little boy search high and low for a grand gift, before presenting it to his favored one. Then with a "crush," which is written in a bold colorful font, he crushes it. Neander's determination pays off in the end, for a little twist that shows off the girl's strength, brings the two together. Kuefler's art has stylistic similarities to that of Jon Klassen's, although, the humor is less subtly stated, for characters act in exaggerated ways. This works well with Ferry's writing; characters speak in an affected "Neanderthal" speech. VERDICT An amusing addition that shows younger children the beginning of a respectful relationship.-Rachel Forbes, Oakville Public Library, Ont.

Copyright 2019 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

October 15, 2019
Grades K-2 The course of true love involves a lot of things getting smashed and bashed in this prehistoric meet cute. Smitten at first sight of Neanne? She was short. She was hairy. She was perfect ?young Neander moons about the cave until he hears his dad knowingly remark Crush, then rushes out to gather a big bouquet, show it to her. . . and stomp it to smithereens with a mighty, spread-filling CRUSH. Puzzled when she runs off, Neander ups his game by doing the same with an enormous conch. When that doesn't work, he drags up an iceberg and carves a huge statue of her. This time she smiles and enacts a destructive CRUSH of her own. Kuefler depicts the infatuated enfants as stubby, skin-clad figures with big tangles of unruly hair (his dark, hers red) and places them in benign, minimally detailed landscapes. The theme's violence is discomfiting in a relationship story, but the humor helps tone it down somewhat, and younger audiences in particular will enjoy chiming in on the periodic bellow.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2019, American Library Association.)