THE Croods, as parents out there will be well aware from innumerable film trailers marking its release last week and the onset of the Easter holiday, are a prehistoric family in another Dreamworks Animation epic adventure.

With the release of the movie comes the The Croods, The Novel, a children’s book pitched at the seven and upwards age group, but it could work for younger as a bedtime read aloud choice - though like the movie, it comes suffused with the typical wisecracking dialogue associated with streetwise stone age types Which is fine - I’ve absolutely nothing against the Dreamworks stable which has provided us with many happy hours of entertainment as a family. No doubt we’ll see the movie at some point.

It’s the story of Croods who are forced to stop out of the safety zone of their valley when an earthquake robs them of their home. It’s a fight against the odds in a bid to find a new home while bonding as a family on the way - think Ice Age trilogy, and you’re in the right territory.

Considering it’s a hastily released spin-off, the book reads well. It’s nicely structured and there is plenty of good descriptive language to keep young readers interested.

It’s largely text, but the centre pages offer a condensed, glossy picture-led mini rundown of the story.

It also makes for a rather more useful souvenir of the movie than the usual plastic stuff, if you’re heading to the cinema this Easter.

 

Review by Andrew Doyle