Boy Here, Boy There

A 2025 Bank Street College Best Children’s Book of the Year

“This affirming tale of connection is a superb marriage of text and visuals … A lyrical and beautifully imagined prehistoric encounter.” —STARRED REVIEW, Kirkus Reviews

“It’s a contemplative telling that seeds rich conversations about connection across species and time, and about what it means to make art.” —STARRED REVIEW, Publishers Weekly

“Groenink’s text is best described as poetry… . From the lush landscape in panoramic view to up close with a baby mammoth, the feeling of nature is all around; a successful use of a variety of perspectives, varying illustration size, plus deliberate use of white space keeps it fresh and interesting.” —School Library Journal

“Luminous paintings and a spare, telegraphic text. […] The message here, entirely unstated but unmistakable, involves a benign portrait of our human encounters with the ‘other’ and our need to tell stories.” —The Horn Book

”[A] joyful, inquisitive imagining of prehistoric times.” —Booklist

“Boy Here, Boy There is a look into what a day in the life of a young, prehistoric child might have been like. The beautifully illustrated two-page spreads are illustrated in what look like soft, brush-like strokes, imbuing us with the feeling of the calmness that nature brings.” —Quebec Library Association

”[Groenink’s] charming depiction of the young boy, along with the animals he encounters — and, near the book’s end, the boy’s glimpse of a group of strangers across the river — may spark a young reader’s curiosity to learn more about prehistoric ancestors and their surroundings.” —Montreal Gazette

“Boy Here, Boy There is not a work of fantasy, but an imaginative exploration of early human society, undergirded by fact. The stunning pictures and poetic text recreate the plausible story of one curious boy as he interacts with the natural world, and eventually, with a kind of mirror image of himself.” —Imaginary Elevators

Originally from the Netherlands, CHUCK GROENINK lives in upstate New York with his partner. The illustrator of over twenty books for young readers, including Full Moon Pups, Hungry Jim, The Friend Ship and William’s Winter Nap, Chuck was awarded the Fiep Westendorp Prize in 2007, and his work has been featured by the Society of Illustrators. Boy Here, Boy There is his author-illustrator debut.

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