Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book through Edelweiss. ( )

Silas (9) says:

The best part: when they play hide & seek.

The worst part: the beginning is kind of "stinky." ;) ( )

Mo and Jo are cavemen who, in three easy-to-read chapters, try to improve the smell of themselves and their cave, attempt to play hide-and-seek, and discover that there is more than one way to stay warm on a cold day. ( )

(ARC was provided to read and review.)

The Boulder Brothers is a Jump-into-Chapters book, which means it's double the size of a normal picture book and offers a bit more text, but really just a bit more text. The idea is to bridge the gap for young readers between their first books, to ease them slowly into reading a bit more before they start with full chapters.

The book is divided into three small chapters and as Mo and Jo are cavemen, they talk accordingly. There's a lot of Ooky-Uugg and Me Stink? is the header of the first chapter, which gives a good idea of what's to come language wise.
In Me Stink? both brothers accuse each other of a rather unpleasant aroma, but neither a bath nor srcubbing their cave seems to do the trick. There's a different reason to the bad smell and my group had already a good idea, where it came from, as the illustrations give it away to the observant reader.
In the second story the two immensely cheerful characters try to play Hide and Peek! Jo doesn't know the game and it takes a while, and lots of fun twists, until he gets the hang of it.
The final story We Cold! sees the two brothers shivering away on a cold day and they try to keep warm with the most quirky ideas (not so sure of banging rocks on a turtle, but they are cavemen after all).

I love the artwork, colourful and in cartoon style, it ties in perfectly and there's a lot going on in the background, which is always fun for children, and it's done very well.
In the first story, there's a bat hanging from the top of the cave and when you flick fast through the pages, it really looks as if the animal is moving, a bit like in a real cartoon.

There are two dyslexic children in one of my groups and The Boulder Brothers was a book they hugely enjoyed and which kept them really hooked. IMO the book has, due to its unique style, excellent potential to engage reluctant readers as well as children with learning disabilities.
Highly recommended. ( )

This is a title in the Jump-Into-Chapters series started by Blue Apple. It features easy readers in comic format.

Mo and Jo, two caveboys, go through a series of silly and mild adventures in this collection of stories. First, they investigate a mysterious stink. A lot of bathing happens before they finally track down the source. Next, they try playing hide and seek but Jo doesn't quite get it and it takes a lot of discussion and false starts before they figure out how to play. Finally, the two boys try to find a way to warm up and try lots of silly solutions before they stop shivering - and start sweating!

The reading level of this book is easier than the other title in this series I looked at. In keeping with their caveboy setting, they use few words and short, incomplete sentences. The boys have a slighter darker skin tone than appears on the cover and they seem to have a younger sister with curly red hair. The pictures blend smoothly with the minimal text, making this an excellent beginning reader.

Verdict: This is definitely one to add to your easy reader section. The large type, short words and sentences, and colorful pictures blend together to create an fun and attractive book for beginning readers with a sense of humor. Recommended.

ISBN: 9781609055011; Published 2014 by Blue Apple; Borrowed from another library in my consortium