Time of the Bison [Library Binding]

Ann Warren Turner (Author), Beth Peck (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1987 | Age Level: 8 and up

Eleven-year-old Scar Boy, one of a group of primitive cave dwellers, discovers that he has a gift for making pictures and becomes an apprentice to Painter of Caves.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The lives of primitive cave dwellers, an unlikely subject for children's fiction, emerge in this short novel about a boy with an artistic, mystical gift. Scar Boy longs for a special talent, and thus a name, that will bring him distinction. (His father, too, had felt the same way as a boy.) In this deliberately told, quiet story, we see him discovering that he can paint the "animal pictures" that his people need and revereand we see how deeply this affects him. Tyler's simple prose is exactingly descriptive; her precision helps define the nature of Scar Boy's creative urge, which "frightened him and made him happy." Peck's dark illustrations are strongly composed; although faces are depicted inconsistently, the pictures call attention to pivotal scenes and match the expectant mood of the text. Ages 7-10.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 3-6 This gentle coming of age story takes place in a small clan of prehistoric cave dwellers. Scar Boy, 11, is anxiousand concerned that he will never earn a true name for himselfone that expresses his real nature rather than a physical deformity. Although Scar Boy frequently draws animal figures in the mud, the tribal elders do not pay much heed to this talent until the boy makes a clay figure of a galloping stallion, a figure from his dreams. The tribe decides that Scar Boy has a special gift and sends him to meet Painter of Caves, who will test him. It is with this wise old man that Scar Boy learns what his future holds. He and his fellow clan members are sympathetically drawn as a close knit group, concerned with the welfare of the tribe and each of its members. The plot is episodic but with little action except for the dangers encountered on the brief journey to the clan gathering. The main thrust of the story is Scar Boy's concern for his future and his interest in the magic of creating drawings and animal figures. The illustrations help to give a feeling for the lives of the characters while the story concentrates more on beliefs and superstitions. A mildly entertaining story set in a period not widely written about in children's fiction. Cynthia M. Sturgis, Ledding Library, Milwaukie, Oreg.
Copyright 1987 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Library Binding: 54 pages
• Publisher: Atheneum; 1st edition (October 1987)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0027893006
• ISBN-13: 978-0027893007
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 7.1 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,318,520 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I was born in a small town in Western Massachusetts to creative parents who always encouraged my writing and painting. I went to Bates College, majored in English, and spent a wonderful year abroad in Oxford, England, giving me a taste for neat Scotch, Evensong, and very old churches and buildings. I've been married long enough to break all records and have two grown children. I am especially drawn to telling stories about outsiders, rebellious girls, and people who don't fit in--as I didn't growing up. I was always a bit too loud, too passionate, moved too fast, made up too many stories, and thought that life moved just a tad too slowly for me. I love to cook, garden, swim, pet my wild Jack Russell terrier, talk to friends and my "kids," and laugh at my husband's wild, original stories. I also actually answer letters and emails sent to me by fans, and when I do school visits, I tell people--"Don't ever let anyone tell you you can't do it!"