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REVIEW BY KK
Wolf Road is Alice Roberts’ first foray into children’s literature. Drawing on archaeological and anthropological evidence, the book tries to provide as accurate a window as possible into the world of Palaeolithic hunter-gatherers, and into how they lived at the end of the last Ice Age. The story is centred on the life of 12-year-old Tuuli, whom we follow as she accompanies the reindeer herd out of the mountains and down to the sea as the long winter finally comes to an end. While this is a trip Tuuli and her clan make every year, this time it leads to her own personal spring awakening.
For a children’s book, it is a bit light on plot, instead focusing on the everyday trials and tribulations our prehistoric ancestors may have faced in order in survive in such a harsh landscape. In this sense, while it may not become an instant classic, it is a great way for children to engage with this period of time, learning about the Palaeolithic through a fun and engaging medium.
Wolf Road
Alice Roberts
Simon & Schuster, £14.99
ISBN 978-1398521339
