Boy Here, Boy There

As outlined in an author’s note, Groenink (Mum, Me, and the Mulberry Tree) creates a story about a connective moment in human prehistory: contact between Homo neanderthalensis and Homo sapiens. In opening pages, a small band of animal-skin-wearing Neanderthals, portrayed with light brown skin, arrive at a cave above a river valley. While most rest, a boy yearns to explore, this desire conveyed expressively through large, questioning eyes. Wildlife appears at comparative scales as the child ventures down to the river (“Trees big,/ boy small.// Boy big,/ crawler small”), and the text touches on species similarities (around a bear, “Berries for big growler,// berries for boy”). Arriving at the river, the child sees another boy, shown with dark brown skin, kneeling on the sand bank. The two stare at each other, their features mirrored (“Eyes here,/ nose, mouth there”). Then, with a wave, the second child and his Homo sapiens cohort disappear into tall grass. That night, back at the cave, the Neanderthal youth commemorates the wave with a tangible memorial. It’s a contemplative telling that seeds rich conversations about connection across species and time, and about what it means to make art. Ages 3–7. Agent: Stephen Barr, Writers House. (Oct.)