Return to the Painted Cave

Boy of the Painted Cave

by Justin Denzel

Two summers have passed since Graybeard's death, and young Tao the Cave Painter carries the legacy of his friend and teacher well—when he brings bison and horses to life on the hard, stone wall of the Sacred Caverns, elders look at him with respect. They know his paintings will bring good luck to their hunt.
On his journey to the Mountain People, Tao discovers a clan held prisoner by their fear of a mad shaman, Zugor, who threatens them with curses and spells. Even worse, Zugor keeps a blind girl and a group of mysteriously sick children captive in a cave, claiming they are possessed by evil spirits. Tao knows he must help.
Together with the brave blind girl, Deha, and Ram, his loyal wolf-dog, Tao follows an old map drawn by Graybeard and travels down the Great Waters, where he seeks medicines to heal the children. The dangerous voyage grows more unpredictable at every step, but there is no turning back.
Justin Denzel's Return to the Painted Cave, his much-anticipated sequel to Boy of the Painted Cave, will take you on an unforgettable journey to the Stone Age. May the spirit of Graybeard be with you.

Genres: Prehistoric

200 pages, Hardcover

First published September 22, 1997

About the author

Justin Denzel was an American author of children's and young adult books.
He was born in Clifton, New Jersey in 1917. As a child he showed an early interest in nature that was to reappear later in his books. He worked for some years in Alaska, where he wrote for an Alaskan newspaper. He gave up writing after an unsuccessful attempt to write an adult novel, however when he returned to writing he realized he liked to make short stories and children's novels more.
Many of his books featured nature and animals and tend to have a historical setting.