Maroo of the Winter Caves by Ann Turnbull (originally published 1984) is a middle grade novel set during the Ice Age. It may help shed light on how people may have lived and survived in communities during a hunter/gatherer era of history. With young Maroo as the main character, children will see themselves in her struggles and heroics, providing a context for connecting to the early communities of the past.
Maroo is probably about 12, still a child, in her story. She’s still growing into adolescence, and as, a girl, she somewhat resents that her younger brother will someday join the hunters in gathering meat while she will be destined for a different future. But during the course of this short season, Maroo finds her own strength as she comes to the rescue during a difficult journey.
The novel takes place from early spring (as snow melts) to early fall (when the snows begin again). Her family travels away from the community of the caves into the plains, cliffs, and even seaside far from others. It is when the family begins the return journey to the community that troubles begin. Maroo’s mother moves slowly, since she had a baby during the summer, and so the family gets delayed in returning.
Maroo’s story taught the readers some (most likely) factual details about surviving during early history. For example, we learned how they were clothed, how they ate during different seasons, and how to survive in a variety of environments. Most importantly, Maroo’s story shows how community and family units are essential to survival. I loved the symbolism of Maroo taking the embers from her grandmother’s fire to start her own fire, later. To me, it underscored the fact that family is essential to survival for these far-sprung people.
Some details are probably less likely to be based in fact, such as the family’s superstitions, the language and meaning of the words mentioned in the text, the meaning behind cave paintings, and traditional gender roles in the Ice Age. We can’t really know how these early people may have believed. Nevertheless, it still provided an interesting look at what life may have been like, regardless of those types of details. Maybe there were communities such as these, surviving in a quite cold part of earth as described in this story.
One content note: There is a death after a fall from a cliff. I read this book with my older daughter when she was 8 and she was not disturbed. Upon this reading with my now seven-year-old younger daughter, she says she didn’t like the book, especially because of that part. “It’s too sad,” she says. She has always been a sensitive child. Parents should, of course, consider their own children’s sensitivities as they decide to read this, or not.
Despite any flaws, I myself thoroughly enjoyed reading Maroo again. Especially, I cheered on Maroo’s heroism as she survived and thrived, coming to the rescue as one only could during a prehistoric, challenging time such as that during which she lived.
