Life in the Great Ice Age

Title: Life in the Great Ice Age
Author: Michael and Beverly Oard
Major Themes: Ice Age, Flood, Cave Men, Neanderthals, Christian Nonfiction, Nonfiction Science, Picture Books, Ancient Times, Europe
Synopsis: Life during the Ice Age, among the cave men, is described through the eyes of a young boy and his family.

I have always really liked the large-format hardcover picture books from Master Books. I bought Life in the Great Ice Age not long after it published, using Christmas money from my grandmother to pay for it. I found it fascinating at that time, and still find it both a good story and very informative.

There are two parts to this book. The first part tells the story of Jabeth and his family, who live in a cave home in Europe near the end of the Ice Age. Jabeth’s grandfather tells stories of the Great Flood, the confusion at Babel and the subsequent dispersion. He also describes the climate changes that were taking place during and after that time. When another tribe, known as the “Beetle-Brows”, comes through the valley and stays for awhile, Jabeth gets to hear stories of other parts of the world. The two tribes go hunting together and preserve meat for winter. This is an exciting story of what life may have been like in a forgotten time.

The second part of the book gives more information about what probably caused the Ice Age, from a Biblical perspective, and also talks in great detail about various aspects of the life of the cave men. How do cave men fit into the Biblical worldview? What about the Neanderthals? What about saber-toothed tigers and woolly mammoths? And, what brought the Ice Age to an end?

You will learn a lot from reading Life in the Great Ice Age. Children love the beautiful, full-color paintings and the exciting story, and adults will appreciate the information about the Ice Age from a different slant than we usually find. (In fact, as far as children loving the pictures, my 8-year-old tried to take the book away from me a few minutes ago and I had to tell him that he has to wait till I’m finished writing this review!) I love to have books like this one on the shelf or laying around in accessible places for children to pick up and peruse at odd moments.

No warnings!