On this page: General Resources | Mammoths | Cave Art | Historical Fiction
general REsources
📖 The Early Human World by Peter Robertshaw and Jill Rubalcalba. This World in Ancient Times title covers the evolution of modern humans, human prehistory from the Paleolithic through the Bronze Age, the domestication of plants and animals, and the settling of Australia, the Pacific islands, and the Americas. – Middle
📖 Savage Stone Age by Terry Deary. This book in the irreverent Horrible Histories series gives readers a glimpse into the less savory aspects of life in prehistoric times. The short chapters discuss human evolution, rituals and customs of prehistoric cultures, archaeological research, and more. – Elementary • Middle
▶️ Horrible Histories TV show. Episodes of the popular “Horrible Histories” sketch show are available to stream on Amazon Prime, Hulu, and YouTube. Search our Horrible Histories Sketch List to find every “Savage Stone Age” sketch from Seasons 1–5. – Elementary • Middle
🔗 Content Connection: Evolution. Learn about the evolution of modern humans.
▶️ What can you learn from ancient skeletons? from TED-Ed. “Ancient skeletons can tell us a great deal about the past, including the age, gender and even the social status of its former owner. But how can we know all of these details simply by examining some old, soil-caked bones? Farnaz Khatibi examines a fascinating branch of science known as biological anthropology.” – All
▶️ Migrations and Intensification from Crash Course. “In which Hank and John Green teach you about humanity conquering the Earth. Or at least moving from Africa into the rest of the Earth. As human beings spread out across the world and populations grew, humanity reached a critical mass of innovators, and collective learning took off! All these innovations were great for lots of human endeavors, but none fared better than agriculture.” – Middle • High
mammoths
📖 Mammoths on the Move by Lisa Wheeler. Intended for very young children, this is a first introduction to woolly mammoths, told in rhyming verse. The pictures are neat, but if you're looking for any actual information on mammoths, see the books below. – Preschool
📖 Wild and Woolly Mammoths by Aliki. This nicely illustrated book gives useful information about the Ice Age giants and the prehistoric humans who hunted them and used their bodies for food, clothing, shelter, and many other purposes. – Preschool • Elementary
📖 Mammoths and Mastodons: Titans of the Ice Age by Cheryl Bardoe. Here is your ultimate guide to these prehistoric giants. Bardoe’s heavily-illustrated Mammoths and Mastodons is wonderfully written and filled with information. There is a short chapter on the relationship between mammoths and prehistoric people. – Elementary • Middle
📖 You Wouldn’t Want to Be a Mammoth Hunter: Dangerous Beasts You'd Rather Not Encounter by John Malam and David Antram. Learn about the perils of a prehistoric mammoth hunt in this humorous title in the You Wouldn't Want to... series. – Elementary • Middle
▶️ Bring back the woolly mammoth from TED Talks. "It’s the dream of kids all around the world to see giant beasts walk the Earth again. Could — and should — that dream be realized? Hendrik Poinar talks about the next big thing: the quest to engineer a creature that looks very much like our furry friend, the woolly mammoth." Focused on DNA sequencing efforts. – Middle • High
cave art
📖 The First Drawing by Mordicai Gerstein. Here is a somewhat silly story of a very imaginative little boy who creates the first cave art. Appropriate for young children. – Preschool • Elementary
📖 The Secret Cave: Discovering Lascaux by Emily Arnold McCully. Set in 1940, this picture book recounts the discovery of the famous cave paintings of Lascaux by four boys living in the south of France. A quick read. – Elementary
📺 Cave of Forgotten Dreams by Werner Herzog. Werner Herzog's award-winning study of 32,000 year old cave paintings recently discovered in Southern France is moody, visually stunning, and informative. – Middle • High
▶️ Explore cave paintings from TED-Ed. “The paintings of our ancestors have been preserved in caves all over the world; the oldest we’ve found were made up to 40,000 years ago. What do these images tell us about the ancient human mind and the lives of their creators? In this special 360° TED-Ed animation, explore an ancient cave and its surroundings as Iseult Gillespie shares a brief history of cave paintings.” – All
historical fiction
📖 The First Dog by Jan Brett. This simple picture book imagines Kip, a prehistoric boy, befriending Paleowolf, after he proves to be useful in alerting Kip to some dangerous situations. A good read-aloud for the very young. – Preschool • Elementary
📖 Maroo of the Winter Caves by Ann Turnbull. Set in Europe during the last Ice Age, this short novel is both an exciting survival story and a fascinating glimpse into the way of life of the prehistoric cave people. Highly recommended. – Elementary • Middle
📖 The Boy of the Painted Cave by Justin Denzel. “Tao is an outcast. Unlike the great hunters of his clan, Tao does not want to kill the wild bears or woolly mammoths of the hunt. Instead he wants only to paint them. But only Chosen Ones can be cave painters. What's more, Volt, the clan leader, violently despises Tao. And when the other clan members discover Tao's secret talent, they cast him out into the wilderness alone. There, he befriends a wild wolf dog named Ram, and the mysterious Graybeard, who teaches him the true secret of the hunt.” Also see the sequel, Return to the Painted Cave. – Elementary • Middle
📖 The Wolf’s Boy by Susan Williams Beckhorn. From award-winning author Susan Williams Beckhorn, The Wolf’s Boy is another fast-paced chapter book featuring an outcast boy, his wolf companion, and an unforgiving Ice Age winter. – Elementary • Middle
