Buitrago, Jairo. Afterward, Everything Was Different: A Tale from the Pleistocene. Rafael Yockteng, Illus. Translated from the Spanish by Elisa Amado. Greystone, 05/2023. [64]pp. Picture Book. Trade $19.95. 978-1-77-840060-5. GRADES Preschool–4. OUTSTANDING.
A stunning visual storytelling about the emergence of visual storytelling, this nearly wordless book traces the perilous life of a small nomadic tribe in the Pleistocene Age and the emergence of the first cave paintings. Striking double-spreads of detailed line illustrations guide us through the harrowing dangers faced by our determined protagonists—animal attacks, hunting mishaps, falling rocks—all while searching for a safe home. Alternating between dramatic landscape perspectives and up-close predicaments, the graphite-and-white-ink drawings imagine a world that blends scientific accuracy with a measure of fantasy, to vividly capture the harsh reality of prehistoric life and the earliest attempts at sharing those experiences through art. Back matter shares information about the nature and significance of cave art, but it is through the thrilling visual experience of the dynamic art that we reflect upon how art came to be . . . and how it changed our lives forever.
Alexandre Petrakis—San Francisco Public Library