Book Review- Lucy & Andy Neanderthal

Lucy & Andy Neanderthal

By Jeffrey Brown

Number of Books in the Series: 3

Growing up, graphic novels were mostly frowned upon in my household. They weren’t taken seriously, and the picture-to-text ratio meant they were rarely considered worthwhile reading!

Cut to today- when I actually don’t mind what format of book the little one picks, because there’s some merit to them all. And honestly, if we don’t read enough, how will we ever figure out the merits and demerits of what we truly enjoy?

Lucy & Andy Neanderthal follows twin Neanderthal siblings living their (worst) lives back in the Stone Age, doing all the things Neanderthals probably did- surviving, foraging, hunting, gathering, feasting on mammoth, making art (maybe), and more.

It’s a fun series that sits right at the intersection of fiction and non-fiction. Each chapter wraps up with present-day anthropologists/paleontologists jumping in to offer factual context against what just happened in the story. It’s a clever little narrative device- informative, without ever taking away from the humor of the plot.

I’ve seen my little one go through all three books at lightning speed, and re-read them countless times. Every single time, she ends up laughing silently at the many hilarious moments tucked into the story.

As far as the storytelling goes, this is an absolute laugh riot- super informative and wonderfully accessible for young readers. The artwork felt a little too crowded for me, but it works for the intended age group, so no complaints there either.

We read this at 6+ years, though the suggested age is probably closer to 8+ years.