picture book. This one's been called "storytime gold" .. and it is. Funny and lovingly illustrated, this is a great one for sharing with a group (probably ages 4 and up--school kids and adults will enjoy it too), or in a one-on-one setting. One caveat (for those librarians whose storytime crowds include a certain kind of grown-up), it does show a picture of the mammoth's poop (accompanied by text that says the mammoth is not "cave trained"). ( )

This Orq. (He Cave Boy.) is a hilarious picture book about Orq, a cave boy, and his pet wooly mammoth, Woma. Orq and Woma love each other so much, and love spending their days together. As Woma grows from a baby mammoth to an adult mammoth, he cannot fit in the house anymore. Orq's mother becomes frustrated at Woma as he gets older and takes up so much room, so she kicks him out. Woma and Orq think of ways to win back Mother's affection, and none of them work until one day when Woma saves Orq from a hungry sabertooth tiger! Mother appreciates Woma, and invites him to live at home again, where Orq and Woma can be happy together.

I really did love this story so much because it is relatable. I have a similar issue at the moment with my mother and cat, who knocks things over, makes messes, and meows in the night. I can relate to how Orq feels. Some themes that are present throughout this story are rejection (from Mother to Woma), accepting someone for who they are (from Orq to Woma), and heroism (because Orq saves the day). Unfortunately, I feel that this book should not be used to teach any elements of writing. The author, David Elliot, does a wonderful job of sticking to the caveman language by stating things like "This Orq. He cave boy." Though this is a wonderful touch to the humor of the book, I feel there is no way to teach elements of writing with this book because no line in the story forms a complete sentence, and the vocabulary is not very challenging or broad. ( )

Read on October 20, 2015

Love that it's written in "cave man" and the story of a boy and his woolly mammoth is super sweet. Me love Orq and Woma. ( )

Cute! Both kids 5 and 1 1/2 liked this one. The illustrations are cute. And adults get to talk like a cave boy! ( )

Orq loves Woma, but his mother... not so much. What can be done to make Mother see how amazing Woma can be? Find out in this fun and wildly entertaining read-aloud that will leave kids of different ages smiling. ( )