New Releases by Chuck Groenink

To a young Neanderthal boy, the world is full of incredible adventures — and unexpected encounters, when he meets a human boy for the first time in this stunning, sparsely worded picture book. A prehistoric Neanderthal family arrives at their new home, a cave, after a long journey. But their young boy's imagination is seized by the beauty and promise of the valley below, and he sets out to explore all that the valley has to offer along, with his place in it. This wild, prehistoric world is full of beauty and wonder, including big and little "hairies" (woolly mammoths). But across a river, the boy spots another boy, a Homo sapiens. He's dressed differently, but so much else is the same. The two share a moment of recognition before the stranger and his family depart, leaving a lasting impression on the Neanderthal boy — one that will have effects reaching throughout history. This picture book, sparingly written and expansively illustrated, imagines an encounter between Homo sapiens and our Neanderthal cousins based on the expanding understanding of prehistoric peoples. It will inspire young readers to see the beauty in discovery and the natural wonders of the prehistoric world as well as our shared humanity. Includes back matter with information about prehistoric life and Neanderthals as well as a bibliography.

有一天，萊利哭著跑回家。他剛剛還跟鄰居的孩子們玩在一起。 「萊利，你怎麼啦？」媽媽問。 萊利抹去臉上的淚水。他今年八歲，已經不是愛哭的年紀了，可是他就是忍不住一直哭。 「媽咪，每次我們玩遊戲，他們總是玩到最後才選我，我好傷心。」 就在這時，爸爸和爺爺剛好走進廚房。媽媽告訴他們說：「萊利今天過得很不開心，那些男孩玩到最後才選他。」 爸爸搭著兒子的肩膀，說：「嗯，我懂，我像你這麼大的時候，玩遊戲常常也是最後才被選上。」 「真的嗎？」萊利驚訝的問。 「真的，那時我也很傷心。」爸爸點點頭說道。 「我想是因為我不太會玩，所以他們最後才選我。」萊利低著頭說。 「或許爺爺會有辦法。爺爺，你覺得萊利該怎麼辦？」爸爸問。 爺爺想了一下說：「萊利，你聽過國王和小驢駒的故事嗎？」 萊利終於破涕為笑，他最喜歡聽爺爺講故事了！ 爺爺坐了下來，讓萊利坐在他腿上。 萊利，你知道嗎？好幾年前，我去耶路撒冷旅行，看到好多騎驢子的人。那裡的驢子特別矮小，大概只有一百公分高。大人騎在驢背上，必須吃力的抬高膝蓋，讓腳懸空，腳才不會被拖在地上。這麼滑稽的景象總是逗得我哈哈大笑。 故事的主角，就是我在耶路撒冷看過的驢子。這隻小驢駒從來沒被選去做任何事，也不知道自己可以做什麼。但是有一天，他被選去執行一項非常特別的任務。⋯⋯