Live Like a Hunter Gatherer is a fantastic guide to the Stone Age for Primary aged children. It is illustrated throughout in a colourful, appealing way and includes photographs of prehistoric evidence and artefacts. The language is accessible and the tone is appealing to KS2. There are many opportunities in the book for children to make links between life in the stone age and life today- allowing them to put things into context and understand how the achievements of the Stone Age society influence the way that we now live. For example, we all know that fire allowed people to stay up later, ward off predators and cook food, but did you know that the reduction in the need to chew cooked meat fewer times than raw meat meant that people had more time to chat which caused a surge in language development?

A section which particularly appealed was the myth-busting page. This allows children’s preconceptions to be challenged as they explore the subject and build a revised mental picture of life in the Stone Age. Spread throughout the book are instructions to enable the reader to share some of the experiences of the hunter-gatherers, including full-size shelter building, making a fat lamp and brushing your teeth with a willow twig. This book provides an excellent teaching resource: not only for learning about the Stone Age but also as scaffolding for writing in the form of the section ’24 Hours as a Hunter Gatherer’ or a plentiful provider of inspiration for forest school or outdoor learning.