Overview and Outcomes:

This is a three-week Writing Root for Cave Baby by Julia Donaldson and Emily Gravett. Before the sequence, if possible set up part of the classroom as a cave role play area with cardboard/material to create a cave shape and inside put some ‘rocks’, plants, cave paintings, stuffed wild animals. The sessions begin with children sharing experiences of times they have done something they shouldn’t have after discovering a series of cave paintings in the classroom. Children then begin to explore the story, meeting the different characters within and labelling, describing and acting in role as the animal characters within. Children begin by writing phrases and then progress towards constructing and writing sentences, as well as an informal letter. Children create their own cave paintings and write about what they have drawn. They sequence key events from the story and retell it orally before going on to write a retelling of the story in their own words and sharing this aloud with others.

Synopsis of Text:

A hairy mammoth takes a cheeky little baby on a thrilling ride through a moonlit landscape populated by a sabre-toothed tiger, a leaping hare, a laughing hyena and even, just maybe, by a big brown bear...But where are they going? And what has it to do with the baby’s scribblings on the cave wall?

Text Rationale:

The text is a lyrical narrative that is set in the Stone Age and follows a mischievous baby who goes on an outdoor adventure and meets a plethora of animals, some of which are extinct. This book has links to PSHE, exploring behavioural expectations, as well as history, introducing children to the stone age. Julia Donaldson is a prolific author with a distinct style and Emily Gravett is a twice Kate Greenaway award-winning illustrator.

Links and themes:

Cave man, cave people, extinct animals, endangered animals, history, prehistoric, cave paintings, stone-age, stone-age man, behavioural expectations, wildlife

Date written: August 2014, Updated: July 2025 (Please note: a 2-week Writing Root is available for this text, contact resources@literacytree.com with your request)