Art from Ghost Hands
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GHOST HANDS
978-0-399-24263-2 | 40 Pages | Ages 5+
“Wait another year,” his father tells him summer after summer. But Auki knows he’s ready. He decides to prove himself worthy of the hunt—and his name.
When Auki defies his father and sneaks out at dawn with spear in hand, he discovers something unexpected — a place he never knew existed. A place that teaches him more about his people — and himself — than a hunt ever could.
In this powerful story of courage and transformation, T. A. Barron and William Low imagine an answer to the mystery behind the Patagonian Cave of the Hands — and the lone footprint hidden there.
Note: Ghost Hands is currently out of print.
REVIEWS
“This is the perfect book to take our children beyond their known walls and this is the perfect book to teach our children their connections to all who inhabit our world and the generations who came before them. Best of all, this is the perfect book to awaken our children’s dreams, imagination and most of all, the courage they will need on their own journey.”
— ABookandaHug.com
“The ubiquity of the handprint in cave art around the world, and Patagonia in particular, begs unresolved questions about the image’s meaning; Barron’s invented back story posits that healers, warriors and others who contributed to the common good may have been thus memorialized.
“Adding to the intrigue in Argentina’s Cueva de las Manos is the appearance of a footprint. Combining suspense with coincidence to imagine what prompted this singularity, Barron offers this tale narrated by a son of the Tehuelche tribe. In a dramatic double-page spread, the beast appears, fangs bared, facing the reader and the boy. While fleeing, the protagonist wounds his foot, stumbling upon the secret cave ‘visited only by elders…and…ghosts.’ A climactic scene pitting the savage animal against the aged cave painter portrays Auki’s foot as a weapon—one worthy of record.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“As in The Day the Stones Walked (2007), about Easter Island, Barron and Low offer an imagined explanation for a mysterious archaeological artifact, this time Cueva de las Manos in Patagonia. Auki, whose name means “Little Hunter,” is determined to prove his bravery and honor his name, so he sets off to track and kill a puma. Instead, he unwittingly happens upon a legendary secret cave, decorated with hundreds of handprints. There, he meets the cave painter and earns his own print—the only foot among the 890 hands—with an act of selfless bravery. This story will spark interesting discussions about cultural appropriation and authenticity and may inspire children to embark on similarly creative flights of imagination.”
— Booklist
“The stunning digitally enhanced illustrations, rich in color and texture, perfectly capture the terrain, action, and emotions in a realistic manner that helps readers imagine the time and place. Teachers can use this as a good example of how a story can be developed by imagining why or how something came to be and can mine the story for Barron’s abundant use of descriptive similes.”
— School Library Journal
“I’ve read it aloud to two different groups of kids for programs at the library and both have sat spellbound… parents as well. It’s got it all… drama… adventure… meaning…”
— Barb Langridge, Howard County Central Library
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
- 2012 Nautilus Book Award (“Better books for a better world.”) — Silver Award Winner, Illustrated Children’s Books
- 2012 Character Building Counts — Gold Seal Award (“celebrating honor, integrity, honesty, and decency — in essays and books”)
GHOST HANDS
978-0-399-24263-2
40 Pages | Ages 5+
“Wait another year,” his father tells him summer after summer. But Auki knows he’s ready. He decides to prove himself worthy of the hunt—and his name.
When Auki defies his father and sneaks out at dawn with spear in hand, he discovers something unexpected — a place he never knew existed. A place that teaches him more about his people — and himself — than a hunt ever could.
In this powerful story of courage and transformation, T. A. Barron and William Low imagine an answer to the mystery behind the Patagonian Cave of the Hands — and the lone footprint hidden there.
Note: Ghost Hands is currently out of print.
Art from Ghost Hands
REVIEWS
“This is the perfect book to take our children beyond their known walls and this is the perfect book to teach our children their connections to all who inhabit our world and the generations who came before them. Best of all, this is the perfect book to awaken our children’s dreams, imagination and most of all, the courage they will need on their own journey.”
— ABookandaHug.com
“The ubiquity of the handprint in cave art around the world, and Patagonia in particular, begs unresolved questions about the image’s meaning; Barron’s invented back story posits that healers, warriors and others who contributed to the common good may have been thus memorialized.
“Adding to the intrigue in Argentina’s Cueva de las Manos is the appearance of a footprint. Combining suspense with coincidence to imagine what prompted this singularity, Barron offers this tale narrated by a son of the Tehuelche tribe. In a dramatic double-page spread, the beast appears, fangs bared, facing the reader and the boy. While fleeing, the protagonist wounds his foot, stumbling upon the secret cave ‘visited only by elders…and…ghosts.’ A climactic scene pitting the savage animal against the aged cave painter portrays Auki’s foot as a weapon—one worthy of record.”
— Kirkus Reviews
“As in The Day the Stones Walked (2007), about Easter Island, Barron and Low offer an imagined explanation for a mysterious archaeological artifact, this time Cueva de las Manos in Patagonia. Auki, whose name means “Little Hunter,” is determined to prove his bravery and honor his name, so he sets off to track and kill a puma. Instead, he unwittingly happens upon a legendary secret cave, decorated with hundreds of handprints. There, he meets the cave painter and earns his own print—the only foot among the 890 hands—with an act of selfless bravery. This story will spark interesting discussions about cultural appropriation and authenticity and may inspire children to embark on similarly creative flights of imagination.”
— Booklist
“The stunning digitally enhanced illustrations, rich in color and texture, perfectly capture the terrain, action, and emotions in a realistic manner that helps readers imagine the time and place. Teachers can use this as a good example of how a story can be developed by imagining why or how something came to be and can mine the story for Barron’s abundant use of descriptive similes.”
— School Library Journal
“I’ve read it aloud to two different groups of kids for programs at the library and both have sat spellbound… parents as well. It’s got it all… drama… adventure… meaning…”
— Barb Langridge, Howard County Central Library
AWARDS & ACCOLADES
- 2012 Nautilus Book Award (“Better books for a better world.”) — Silver Award Winner, Illustrated Children’s Books
- 2012 Character Building Counts — Gold Seal Award (“celebrating honor, integrity, honesty, and decency — in essays and books”)