Paintings From the Cave: Three Novellas

        For this six weeks I read Paintings From the Cave: Three Novellas by Gary Paulsen, published in 2011. It is a realistic fiction book that deals with three troubled kids, and how they use dogs and art to get them through their lives. Within the book, the novella I found the most interesting was the last one, 'Erik's Rules.' In 'Erik's Rules,' a boy named Jamie and his older brother run away from their home after their grandpa (who they had been living with) gets very sick and is put in a nursing home. They live without a home for about two years, and the story is about how they survive and find a new, real home. The overall theme of this novella suggests how the love for dogs and art make life more tolerable.
         This novella is told from a first person point of view, Jamie, who is living with his older brother, Erik. They move around from place to place, living somewhere or with someone different almost every month, with no permanent home. One day when Jamie goes to a nearby dog park to sketch the dogs there, a man named Greg comes up to him and asks him to draw pictures of the dogs at the humane society where he works. Jamie reluctantly agrees and goes the next day. Greg becomes Jamie's friend, and lots of great things happen once he starts drawing for the humane society. Jamie gets paid for his drawings, Greg finds an apartment that they can live in, Jamie enters an art competition, and adopts a loving old dog that he names Annie Oakley.
        The intended audience for this book is teens and older children. The general genre is realistic fiction, and it relates to my life, because I like dogs and art. I have two dogs of my own, which were also adopted from the humane society, and in my spare time I enjoy doodling in a journal. Gary Paulsen keeps the reader intrigued by making the lives of the children harsh. The lifestyles add another level of suspense and action. The author's style includes melancholy characters that become joyful when they're with a dog, or doing something they love. This writing style is definitely effective for the intended audience.
        This book affected me, because I never really realized that when you don't have much, the love of something is very important. It also changed my idea of how dogs feel about people. It made me think that dogs love more eternally than humans do. This reflects my personal views on the world, because I knew that dogs loved humans, but now I know that their love is deeper and stronger than any love that humans could ever achieve. This book brought up memories of The Call of the Wild, because they both reveal the affections people have for dogs.
        Paintings From the Cave was a very appealing book. It really gave a clear understanding of talents and loves and how they affect children. I didn't think that I would like it at first, but once I read the entire thing, I saw the true meaning of it.  I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes art and dogs, and who is interested in the lives of the troubled children.

Madden Wilson

12/17/13

**** 4/5 stars