The Boy of the Painted Cave (Paperback)

by Justen Denzel (Author) "Tao looked out across the valley with its endless waves of yellow grass rippling under the late after sun..." (more)
Key Phrases: birch tea, clan hunters, deerskin pouch, Secret Cavern, Mountain People, Chosen One (more...)

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly
Strongly reminiscent of Ann Turner's recent Time of the Bison , this too is a beautifully written story about an artistic prehistoric boy. Adopted as an infant by the kind old woman Kala, Tao does not know his father. His mother, Kala tells him, gave him his gift for seeing beauty"the thing that makes you different from others." Determined to paint, despite the taboo against it, Tao is gradually cast from the clan. Now on the outside, he begins to view their superstitions skeptically: demons do not dwell in the forbidden slough, after all; and the wolf dog, Ram, despised by the clan, becomes Tao's devoted friend. This is an exciting, fabulously descriptive story set against violent times. Denzel's knowledge of the Stone Age enhances the action; moreover, with his tender, somewhat melancholy insights into ostracism and loyalty, he transcends the period. Ages 8-12.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

From School Library Journal
Grade 4-8 Set 18,000 years ago in prehistoric France, this is the story of a 14-year-old boy who longs to be a cave painter. This is forbidden, however, because Tao is not a Chosen Onehe's a tribal outcast with a crippled foot and no father to claim him. Forced into isolation by the superstitious leader, he befriends a wolf dog, Ram (another taboo), and the shaman, Greybeard, who teaches him to paint. When the tribe discovers this, they pit him against Saxon, the sacred bull. Tao is developed sympathetically, but his handicap is really a plot device to set up the central problem, for he has already overcome its physical drawbacks; it is the taboos and biases of his people over which he must triumph. The emotional connections between Tao and important minor characters are not conveyed strongly enough for readers to become involved and care. The motivations of the shaman are not always clear, and the cynicism he displays toward Tao smacks too much of a modern person sneering at savages, preventing readers from being swept up in the possible mindset of those who could believe in magic. There is no mystical wonderment at creation so beautifully evoked in Ann Turner's Time of the Bison (Macmillan, 1987). The taming of the wild dog is not as convincing as in Pryor's Seth of the Lion People (Morrow, 1988), which handles similar plot elements with more satisfying results, although both books occasionally use jarring anachronisms in their language. Despite its flaws, this book is interesting enough to introduce middle-graders to historical fiction. The superb cover will attract children, and, while the plot resolution seems a little forced, the exciting high points and the convincing setting will draw readers through. Annette Curtis Klause, Montgomery County Department of Public Libraries, Md.
Copyright 1988 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to the Hardcover edition.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Paperback: 160 pages
• Publisher: Putnam Juvenile (April 16, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0698113772
• ISBN-13: 978-0698113770
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 5.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.6 out of 5 stars See all reviews (23 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #110,889 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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  #9 in	Books > Children's Books > History & Historical Fiction > Fiction > Prehistory
  #68 in	Books > Children's Books > Arts & Music > Art > Fiction

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great story of adventure, survival, and perseverance., July 11, 1998

By A Customer

I thoroughly enjoyed this story about Tao, the Cro-Magnon boy with a twisted foot. It is an inspiring account of primitive man, and shows how he moved from superstition and magic to common sense and knowledge. Tao is determined to draw and paint like a Chosen One and the revered Graybeard even though he is an orphan, and this is taboo. He also befriends a wolf and hunts in the forbidden lands which his clan considers evil even though it means he must live alone, away from his people. Denzel has written a great Stone Age story for middle schoolers with lots of action and suspense.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best action and adventure book written about the stone age, March 29, 2006

A Kid's Review

Boy of the painted cave is the best book in the world because of the action and story plot. The plot is about an orphan named Tao born with a messed up leg.He loves to cave paint but painting in secretcy. To be a cave painter you have to be son of a shaman or a hunter. Because he doesn't know who his father is he can't be a cave painter. To solve this problem he finds a wolfdog and hunt with.Tao finds the mysterious Greybeard; the official cave painter and teaches Tao to be a better cave painter and pass down the name cave painter down to Tao before he dies. The action keeps you reading although the setting is in the stone age. When Tao meets the wolfdog the action begins. Volt the tribal leader is the antagonist of the story and is totally against Tao.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Ryan's book review of, The Boy of The Painted Cave, December 5, 2005

A Kid's Review

Have you ever wondered what it would be like to live in a clan? Hunting gathering and the like? Well then, The Boy of The Painted Cave, a pre-historic fiction by Justin Denzel is just the story for you.
The story takes place about 5-10,000 B.P. in a pre-historic clan, the main character is Tao, who is an outcast form the clan because of his deformed foot finds the true meaning of adventure along with a few twists and turns, Graybeard, an old shaman that teaches Tao the true meaning of cave painting (secretly, for it is taboo), Ram a wolf-dog who befriends Tao and helps him hunt, and Volt the clan leader who hates wolf dogs and doesn't trust Tao either.
I'm going to make this plain and simple, "I couldn't put the book down!" the vocabulary was so advanced, just the whole plot was so cool! I highly recommend this book to ANYONE!!!