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With the real-life photos, background information, and story contents, it's a good book for home or school setting.
It is the age of the Neanderthals in the history of humanity, more than 20,000 years ago. A young girl named Nora, along with her cousin Runi, is excited for a day of rabbit hunting, wanting to help their families survive the upcoming tough, cold winter. They
prepare by sharpening their handmade wooden spears with a flaked stone tool until it is sharp and smooth and then set off, scanning their surroundings for evidence of the small prey. That evening, at their shared cave, they have a celebratory feast with extended family, complete with storytelling, singing, and dancing, enjoying the last days of summer.
Interspersed with full-color illustrations and photographs of actual evidence from Neanderthal sites across Eurasia, along with glossary terms at the back of the book, the story is full of facts and an interesting and realistic interpretation of that time. Young readers will learn that, though the responsibilities and daily lives of Neanderthal children may seem vastly different from those today, in some ways they align greatly with how kids live now.
Kids will be kids, no matter the era. However, most kids in the present time do not have to make spears to hunt with. Well, not in my home country, the United States. In my town, kids go hunting, but that's using crossbows or rifles. Tracking is a skill that most kids (again in the United States) do not possess unless they are (what we call) country kids.
However, in years past, phenomenal hunting and tracking skills were a must to survive. There was no Walmart, no Target, and no local deli. If you wanted to eat, you hunted for dinner - kids and adults.
When people hunted in the past, no part of the animal was gone to waste. The skin was used for clothing and boots. Some meat was eaten straight away, and the rest dried for future meals—bones used as tools.
Mary A. Graves posted an image with eagle claws and stated that 130,000 ago, the claws could have been made into necklaces or some other form of jewelry. I wonder if the husbands gave their wives jewelry for their anniversary or birthday thousands of years ago.
Life moves on. Generations change. Advancements alter how we navigate and survive in the world. However, one thing hasn't changed: many people have their best memories sitting around a bonfire with their family, eating, and enjoying each other's company. I enjoyed the section where it showed the family and friends dancing and singing by the campfire. I also loved the realistic photos at the start of each chapter and the information beneath them.
If you're a teacher, I encourage you to have your students make a side-by-side comparison of how their life compares to children from the neanderthal period: similarities and differences.
Amazon's recommended reading age is 7-12, grade level 2-7. I believe that a solid recommendation for Nora, a Neanderthal girl by Mary A. Graves.
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Synopsis
It is the age of the Neanderthals in the history of humanity, more than 20,000 years ago. A young girl named Nora, along with her cousin Runi, is excited for a day of rabbit hunting, wanting to help their families survive the upcoming tough, cold winter. They
prepare by sharpening their handmade wooden spears with a flaked stone tool until it is sharp and smooth and then set off, scanning their surroundings for evidence of the small prey. That evening, at their shared cave, they have a celebratory feast with extended family, complete with storytelling, singing, and dancing, enjoying the last days of summer.
Interspersed with full-color illustrations and photographs of actual evidence from Neanderthal sites across Eurasia, along with glossary terms at the back of the book, the story is full of facts and an interesting and realistic interpretation of that time. Young readers will learn that, though the responsibilities and daily lives of Neanderthal children may seem vastly different from those today, in some ways they align greatly with how kids live now.
About the author
Children’s book author and teacher Mary A. Graves was teaching Humanities at an international school in Erbil, Iraq, when she visited Shanidar Cave, the location of an anthropological dig which uncovered the skeletons of ten Neanderthals. Mary's visit inspired her to write Nora, a Neanderthal girl. view profile
Published on August 03, 2022
5000 words
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Genre: Children's
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