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Summary
Summary
When Ben's best friend moves away, he decides he will move, too - under the table, where he lives as "Caveman Ben." Supported by his family, Ben is able to work through his emotions until he feels ready to reemerge and look forward to new friendships.
When Ben's best friend Peter moves away, Ben decides that he will move, too--into a "cave" under the kitchen table. Caveman Ben doesn't need any friends except his tame (stuffed) lion. He hunts for his food (thoughtfully left on a plate by Mom and Dad) and communicates in grunts. And in the safety of his cave he can imagine a world where friends control their own destinies and distance is no obstacle.
Award-winning author-illustrator team Sarah Ellis and Kim La Fave have produced yet another book in which they gently guide Ben through an experience that is both familiar and daunting to preschoolers everywhere. Ellis' text deftly taps into the thoughts and feelings of a young child, while La Fave's endearing art captures both the depths of Ben's dismay and the warmth of the family members who support him through his crisis.
Young readers and listeners will celebrate with Ben as, having been given the space to work through his difficult feelings, he emerges from his cave ready to rejoin his family and look forward to new friendships.
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
PreS-Gr 1-While Ben watches the movers pack up his best friend Peter's home, his family tries to comfort him by telling him how he can talk with Peter online and how Peter can come back for a visit. And his brother tries to distract him by offering him a ball game. But Ben's reaction is to move away himself. He decides to move under the table and become a cave boy. He grunts when "outsiders" ask questions. He eats with his fingers and does not use his toothbrush. He is a real cave boy.until a familiar smell drifts into the cave and draws him back into the family. And the next day, Ben hears the sound of a moving truck with box after box. Then a scooter rolls out of the truck, signaling the arrival of a new friend. This story is a familiar scenario for children who lose their best friends. The hopeful message is that life can turn from sad to happy once again and the bosom of one's family can be the best cave in which to find comfort and love when all seems lost. This is a great tale for young children dealing with loss of all kinds. Simple, calming illustrations keep the focus on the story. VERDICT A gentle and age-appropriate reflection on loss.-Mary Hazelton, formerly at Warren & Waldoboro Elementary Schools, ME © Copyright 2016. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Horn Book Review
[Books by Horn Book reviewers are not reviewed; we provide notice of publication and descriptive comment.] When Bens (Big Ben, rev. 3/02) best, across-the-street friend Peter moves away, Ben copes by moving himselfunder the kitchen table, where he turns into Caveboy Ben. This caveboy doesnt talk or brush his teeth, but he does draw a cathartic story about two faraway friends who meet at the center of the earth. Eventually, the smell of popcorn, along with his familys love, draws him out, and hes just in time to see signs that a new friend might be moving in to Peters old house. Mixed-media illustrations accompany the preschooler-focused text. (c) Copyright 2016. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Little Ben's best friend, Peter, is moving away, and Ben is heartbroken. The only way he can deal with his sadness is by moving himselfnot away, however, but to an imaginary cave under the table. Caveboy Ben eats with his fingers, plays with rocks, and protects himself with a club and a stick. He communicates mostly nonverbally, using "Guh" for everything. In the safety of his cave, he expresses his loss in an imaginative series of drawings depicting the two best buddies having fun and doing all kinds of boy stuff. The drawings become increasingly complex, showing the two friends tunneling toward each other through an underground world of subways, ancient cities, and buried treasure. The center of the Earth is, of course, the perfect place for a barbecue, so the boys roast chili dogs and hang out in Ben's cave drawings. The spell is broken when Ben smells popcorn, returning somewhat grudgingly to his long-suffering family. In a reversal of the opening scene, movers arrive at Peter's old house, bringing boxes and a scooter that clearly belongs to someone Ben's age, perhaps a new friend. The upbeat, cartoon-style drawings, thickly outlined with an effect that looks like charcoal, neatly complement the simple, declarative text. Any young child who has experienced the loss of a close friend will find this story resonant. (Picture book. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
Ben and his friend Peter watch as movers load their truck with box after box, followed by Peter's red bicycle. Ben finds it hard to say goodbye. Once Peter is gone, he decides to move under the table and become a caveboy, eating with his fingers and drawing on the cave wall with a pointed stick. After completing a complex narrative picture featuring two boys, Ben leaves the cave and rejoins his family. Looking out the window later, he sees a new truck, with movers unloading boxes, followed by a child-sized, neon-blue scooter. Ellis hits all the right notes in this sensitive text. Ben may not be able to talk through his downcast emotional state (particularly since Caveboy Ben says only, guh), but with his supportive family in the background, he works things out on his own. Le Fave's strong, expressive line drawings make the characters' emotions easy to read. He illustrates Ben's cave period in earthy tones, contrasting with other, more colorful scenes. A satisfying picture book and a welcome sequel to Ben over Night (2005).--Phelan, Carolyn Copyright 2016 Booklist
New York Review of Books Review
In emotionally direct prose and watercolors full of tiny, charming details, Bagley ("Boats for Papa") turns two of the forest's less charismatic creatures into heart-stealing stars. Zelda, a hedgehog, looks forlorn as she tells Aaron, an anteater, he can't come along to her family's new house. But before the move they spend an afternoon playing and having ice cream cones - his miles-long tongue makes an astonishing appearance - creating a reassuring balance between happy, funny and sad. THE GIRL WITH THE PARROT ON HER HEAD Written and illustrated by Daisy Hirst. 40 pp. Candlewick. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 3 to 6) Hirst's original debut walks a wonderful line between fanciful and realistic, with loose, buoyant art and an offbeat story that finds a child's innermost truth. Isabel, a girl who happens to have a parrot on her head, responds to the loss of her friend Simon (one day he "went away in a truck, and he never came back") by hating everything. Then she takes to sorting her stuff into boxes. But there's a big, scary wolf who won't fit anywhere - so a new friend, Chester, helps her send him packing, too. BEN SAYS GOODBYE By Sarah Ellis. Illustrated by Kim La Fave. 32 pp. Pajama Press. $16.95. (Picture book; ages 3 to 6) When Peter moves away, Ben does not want to say goodbye, or do much of anything. He decides to move too - under the table, to become a cave boy. There he grunts instead of talking and draws stories about two friends on the "walls." When he's ready to come out, a potential new friend is settling in at Peter's house. Ellis's simple story catches the rhythms of moving and of grieving, while La Fave's black crayon-like lines and minimal faces register the oversize worries a little guy can carry around. A PIECE OF HOME By Jeri Watts. Illustrated by Hyewon Yum. 32 pp. Candlewick. $16.99. (Picture book; ages 5 to 8) Little is as earthshaking as the experience of starting over in not just a new house, but a new country. Hee Jun's family moves from Korea to West Virginia for his father's job. He can't stand being so different from his classmates. English words "feel like stones, heavy in my mouth." But gradually the strange becomes familiar, and a new friend's kindness eases his homesickness. Watts's elegant story and Yum's soft, radiant art combine to make the book wrenching, hopeful and lovely in equal measure. LIFE WITHOUT NICO By Andrea Maturana. Illustrated by Francisco Javier Olea. 36 pp. Kids Can Press. $16.95. (Picture book; ages 4 to 8) "After Nico leaves, a hole appears in Maia's life," begins this astute, sensitive tale of friendship and separation, made all the more resonant by Olea's adorably moody art. With Maia's best friend gone, the emptiness she feels lasts for a while. But new things creep into her life: a kitten, another friend, the chance to learn piano. They talk on the phone. When Nico comes back - the move was temporary - she worries it won't be the same, but she learns that "there are some things time cannot change." ONLINE An expanded visual presentation of this week's column at nytimes.com/books.