The Cave Monster: The Lima Bear Stories

By: Thomas Weck and Peter Weck
Illustrated by: Len DiSalvo
Publisher: Lima Bear Press
Publication Date: September 2011
ISBN: 978-1933872018
Reviewed by: Holly Connors
Review Date: August 2011

Somebody! Quick, help! L. Joe Bean has been captured by the big, nasty Cave Monster. What will Lima Bear and his friends do?

Lima Bear and his friends know that they must join together to save their good friend L. Joe Bean. After all, that’s what friends do. Whistle-Toe the rabbit, Back-Back the opossum, Maskamal the raccoon, and Lima Bear all agree to help L. Joe Bean. Alas, it's getting dark so they agree to meet early the next morning to plan L. Joe Bean’s escape. Each member of the “team” agrees to brings something useful with them, to help in the escape attempt.

The next morning, they all arrive at the appointed time and place and tell the others what they brought. A bow and arrow, a couple of swords, a red flag....but when they try to use their various weapons, it appears the rescue might be a flop. Maskamal can shoot his arrow, er, stick, only about 6 inches and the swords that little Lima Bear brought were so tiny that it seemed they wouldn’t stop a bug, never mind a big, nasty, cave monster. Nonetheless, the friends embark on their mission to save L. Joe Bean. Will they be able to thwart the Cave Monster and save their friend?

The Cave Monster is the third book in the Lima Bear series and by now, young readers are likely familiar with the antics of this group of friends. This tale – with a happy ending – is goofy, silly, fun, and teaches a lesson of friendship and sticking together to help another friend in need. There are two pages at the back of the book to “Extend the Learning” with activity suggestions for ‘before reading,’ ‘during reading,’ and ‘after reading’ as well as games to play to enhance the learning experience.

Quill says: A fun book for fans of the Lima Bear series.