The First Drawing
CCBC Review:
Inspired by cave drawings made more than thirty thousand years ago in what is now France, and the child’s footprint found nearby, this book imagines a young Paleolithic artist who notices familiar images hidden in the world around him. He points out a woolly mammoth in the clouds and a bear-shaped stone to his family members, but none of them see what he does. It’s not until a close encounter with an actual woolly mammoth that he thinks to outline the creature’s shape later that evening on a cave wall lit by firelight. Finally, others can share his vision, and although they call it magic, the boy shows them how to draw too. The final page shows a contemporary version of that first artist, telling readers “And that’s how—if you’d been around more than thirty thousand years ago—you might have invented drawing. And it’s still magic!” ©2014 Cooperative Children's Book Center
Illustrated by Mordicai Gerstein
CCBC Age Recommendation: Ages 4-8
Age Range:
PreK-Early Elementary (Ages 4-7)
Grades 3-5 (Ages 8-10)
Format:
Picture book
Subjects:
Art and Artists
Historical Fiction
Imagination/Imaginary Play
Pre-History
Publisher:
Little, Brown
Publish Year: 2013
Pages: 40
ISBN: 9780316204781
CCBC Location: Picture Book, Gerstein