Caveboy Crush

by Beth Ferry, Joseph Kuefler (Illustrator)

Overview

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

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781419736568
Publisher:	Abrams Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	11/12/2019
Pages:	48
Product dimensions:	8.50(w) x 10.50(h) x 0.65(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Beth Ferry is the New York Times bestselling author of Stick and Stone as well as many other books for young readers. She lives in New Jersey with her family.

Joseph Kuefler is the author/illustrator of many picture books, including Beyond the Pond and The Digger and the Flower. He lives in the Twin Cities of Minnesota with his family.

Editorial Reviews

09/16/2019

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. (Nov.)

Publishers Weekly

"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

"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."—Publishers Weekly

From the Publisher

"An amusing addition that shows younger children the beginning of a respectful relationship."

SLJ Review

11/01/2019

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.

School Library Journal

2019-07-28
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)

Kirkus Reviews