A super cute story with an amusing twist at the end. Like the wolf you'll find yourself wondering who exactly lives in the cave...

The illustrations here are simply drawn, but I felt they still had a depth to them that really worked for the story and overall style.

The humor and surprises kept both of my kids (3 & 8) entertained, and we all got a chuckle from the ending.

Hodgson also included something that I honestly LOVE in kids picture books: He included something to be sought out on each page! My youngest was especially delighted by the little worm. :)

I received a free ARC from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I absolutely loved this book. The pictures were fun and bright. The text was short and flowed well. There was a funny twist at the end. I chuckled quite a bit while reading!

A cute little story reminiscent of Jon Klassen, but doesn't quite hit its mark. I would consider this for a storytime but probably wouldn't recommend to patrons.

This is an absolutely beautiful book with a delightful story and the most charming illustrations in a paper cut style which reminded me of the work of Eric Carle.
I teach English as a foreign language, and for my littlest students that involves lots of storytelling and activities around the themes of the story. I can see this adorable tale quickly becoming a firm favourite.

I had the chance to read a preview copy of the book thanks to NetGalley and the publishers.

This is a Simple story that I feel is better suited to younger children - I read this to my three year old and I didn't feel it held her attention to the same degree as other books she has, so I would probably read this to my younger child. I'm not sure it is a book we would re-read frequently, especially as they grew older.

In a cave lives a little creature that can’t come out because a wolf has them trapped inside their home. The wolf stalks them and taunts them every day, hoping to entice the creature out so that he can eat them. This goes on for a very long time, until one day the creature feels comfortable coming out, and the wolf is very, very sorry when that happens.

The themes in this book are pretty bothersome, honestly. The wolf is a bully and an abuser and certainly there must be consequences for his heinous behavior. However, the consequence of his actions is to suffer what he has wrought, and that is not a moral that I would teach my children. Seeking revenge and “eye for an eye” are not lessons we teach in this household, nor are they lessons that I feel improve the society in which we live.

I see this book going over fairly well with relatively young kids. The plot is pretty simple. We've got a wolf trying to trick a small prey animal out of a cave. Then, in a classic subversion of expectation, the creature is revealed to be big and scary and chases the wolf into the cave. The book ends with the creature taking the wolf's role. Comparable to I Want My Hat Back.

A very fun book. I bet all adults will figure out the end, and many kids too. But it is the journey to get there that is so fun. The little creature lives in the cave and does not want to come out and play. But the Wolf really wants them to. Really Really wants them to. Can you guess what is in the cave? The idea was not the only fun thing in this book. The illustrations help make the story playful but caring, and is so right where it needs to be with expression. It’s a simple masterwork that will be read. to read over and over, and over again.

In The Cave by Rob Hodgson, we are quickly introduced to a cave where a little creature resides; this animal never leaves because there is a hungry wolf outside.

Readers see two frightened eyes and every time the wolf proposes an option that might convince the creature to come out, we hear the countered response. Time and again, the creature does not want to feed the birds, pick flowers, play in the snow, and so on.

Finally, a doughnut with sprinkles is the perfect temptation. As the creature emerges to eat it, it is revealed that the creature is not a small, plaintive, defenseless animal -- it is instead a bear! The book ends with the tables turned -- now it is the bear trying to woo the wolf out, to no avail.

The whimsical illustrations complement the words well, and I imagine toddlers and young children giggling at the final discovery.

(I received a digital ARC from Quarto Publishing Group via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.)

This is a really cute little story that features a wolf and another animal hiding in a cave. At first we assume the animal in the cave is teeny tiny; only to be surprised to find it's a bear! This has a climactic moment that is loud and fun. Toddlers are likely to really love it and get very excited (every time, as they do) about our surprise moment.
Likely by the time a child is 5 years old (or so) they will have outgrown this one; unless of course it becomes their favourite book ever. With cute illustrations and a wolf whose very good at killing boredom in all kinds of weather I think Rob Hodgson's The Cave is a fun, cute book that any adult could enjoy reading to a child. The vocabulary and sentence structure are simple which also makes this a good book for ESL children (or adults!).
Overall I like how short and sweet this book is; and it's always fun to get animated and loud when reading to children. Although because of it's big climax this may not make a good bedtime story.

Please note: I received an eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. This is an honest and unbiased review.

It’s obvious that there’s going to be a BIG surprise at the end of this book - I mean, the cover flap even says so.

But it’s still pretty amusing.

Fun.

<i>Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for a copy in return for an honest review.</i>

Ha! Love it! Fox is looking for a meal ad tires his hardest to get the small creature out of the cave to eat it. He is very, even extremely patien, but what a surprise he gets in the end! Simple, yet effective illustrations! Littles will love it!

There is a little creature that lives in a cave and never leaves. The little creature never leaves because there’s a wolf outside and the wolf is very hungry. The wolf tries everything to get the little creature to come out. Can a doughnut covered in sprinkles finally coax the little creature out? And will the wolf end up regretting his decision?    

Each spread features the cave with the wolf outside, braving all weathers and coming up with ploys to entice the little creature out. My favourite spread was definitely when the little creature finally comes out but I couldn’t possibly share a picture because that would ruin the surprise!

This fun story made me laugh out loud with its killer twist ending! The clever use of the cave as the focal point of each spread really holds this story together. A great read to enjoy with toddlers+.

I am very grateful to the publisher for providing me with an advanced digital copy via Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

The Cave is a fun picture book about a wolf and “little” critter in a cave. The wolf keeps waiting for the critter to come out of the cave so he can eat him. The “little” critter won’t budge, at least not until he’s tempted with a donut! When the critter finally comes out, it’s the wolf that gets the big surprise!
The story is fairly simple but I think preschoolers will enjoy this one, especially after the first read when they learn it’s a bear that’s hiding in the cave.
Thank you to Quarto Publishing Group and NetGalley for access to this silly and entertaining picture book!

'The Cave' by Rob Hodgson is a picture book with a surprise ending that should be fun for young readers.

A wolf stands outside a cave. There is something inside the cave that he'd like to eat. The creature in the cave doesn't want to come out and for most of the book, we can only see it's eyes. The wolf tries many many things to lure out the creature in the cave, like feeding birds or playing ball. The wolf also never leaves the cave, so the creature in the cave stays there. When the creature comes out of the cave, things take a turn.

This was a cute book that reminded me of childhood cartoons. The illustrations are fun with a blue wolf, jagged yellow lightning bolts, and those expressive eyes inside the cave. I think this would be a fun read aloud for 3-5 year olds with the chance to read with funny voices.

I received a review copy of this ebook from Quarto Publishing Group - Frances Lincoln Childrens, and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Thank you for allowing me to review this ebook.

Why won't the critter in the cave come out?? Wolf would surely like him to and offers a variety of enticements.
Of course, clever young listeners may think that the critter does not come out because he is afraid of being eaten. Is that what happens? Find out in this whimsical, funny story with illustrations that perfectly illustrate the text.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this amusing read. All opinions are my own.

THE CAVE is a colorful children's book with a creative story line. I'm not particularly sure there's a message in it, unless you are trying to teach kids not to be like the wolf, but it was still a cute book with a fun twist at the end. Also, now I want a donut. (I guess the question you can raise is "What would it take to make you face danger?")

I can see that there would be an audience drawn to this story, but I felt a bit underwhelmed. The artwork is unique and I must say I like this one more than his other book “The Woods”. There is an underlying amount of humour here and I like the little additions that Hodgson adds (cook book says “Cooking for One” and the resident snail who very slowly climbs up the rocks, only to fall and have to start all over). The wolf is a bit of stalkerish trying to coax the little creature out of his cave…. Sounds a bit creepy… But there could be a lesson or two to be learned here, if you look hard enough, the best one being karma’s a b—ear.

A small creature of indeterminate species is holed up in a cave, while a blue wolf tries to persuade it to come out. In the end it’s a lesson on not jumping to conclusions, which you’ll realize when you hit the Twilight Zone-like twist.
When the creature said it was hungry, right after the lightning hit the wolf, I thought for sure it was going to eat the wolf. Dark turn for a kid’s story, but it turned out okay. . . well, not so great for the wolf, but at least it’s still alive.
3.5 pushed up to 4/5