Nell lives with her clan in the cave. Her best friend is a small cave bear, who will grow very large as he gets older. One day Nell overhears some of the adults talking about giving Cave Bear away as a gift for another clan. Nell is horrified and decides to run off with Cave Bear. They follow the stream from their village in search of somewhere they can be safe. On the way they meet mammoths and other less friendly clans and a fierce wildcat kitten. All the time Nell is searching for a way that she can remain with Cave Bear. This is a very charming story, filled with gentle humour and a very mildly scary level of adventure. The pictures are drawn in much the same way in a blue wash and create a sense of the story and the jokes in the text. There are also allusions to other well-known stories like Bear Hunt and Winnie the Pooh. The final pages have instructions for how to look after a cave bear and this was possibly my favourite bit of all. Martin Brown is the illustrator for the Horrid Histories series and some of that humour has definitely rubbed off on this book. This is a heart-warming story about friendship and is going to be the first in a series about Nell and Cave Bear. I think it will prove a popular choice among children who are just starting to read independently as it is not too long or difficult.