Review: TEK

Review:

Tek: The Modern Cave Boy

Author/Illustrator: Patrick McDonnell

Publisher: Little, Brown and Company, 2016

Source: Public Library

Tek is a typical troglodyte child. He lives in a cave. There are plenty of dinosaurs to study and even play with. The world is evolving at a remarkable pace. The problem is that Tek is missing it all. You see, he’s plugged in to his electronics and it seems that NOTHING can get him away from his game box, phone or tablet (yup, even in the Ice Age). Clearly, something has to be done. His parents don’t know what. His best friend, Larry the dinosaur, can’t convince Tek to come out and play. It’s not until Big Poppa steps in and shakes things up that Tek realizes there is something more beyond the eerie glow of his cave.

This story is definitely one to share. It gives a very obvious message that too much electronics might not be such a great thing, yet it never comes across as preachy. It is written in such a way that we can genuinely enjoy the story’s “moral.” The text is filled with the humor of everyday life. I love the dinosaur names, especially the Flying Idontgiveadactyl. The pictures are also funny. Tek, living during a time when people were hairier, has a beard. (His mom does not but she does have her hair held together with a bone in a Flintstonesque style.)

Though this book is very entertaining, I wouldn’t expect miracles. Your own little troglodyte might not be willing to give up their electronics so easily, but it is certainly worth a try.