Caves and Cave Paintings

Fiction

A Flight of Angels by Geoffrey Trease (J)

Sheila and her friends solve a 400-year-old mystery while exploring the caves under their historical city of Nottingham for a class project. (Grades 4-6)

Class Trip to the Cave of Doom by Kate McMullan (J)

Wiglaf joins the other students of Dragon Slayers' Academy in searching the Dark Forest for the Cave of Doom, which supposedly contains the gold of the dead dragon Seetha. Book 3 of Dragon Slayer’s Academy series (Grades 3-6)

Ghost Cave by Barbara Steiner (J)

In pursuit of a reward for the discovery of an Indian burial site, Marc and two friends get lost in a cave inhabited by a ghost. (Grades 4-6)

How Can You Hijack a Cave? by P.J. Petersen (J)

Two teenage tour guides at the Cathedral Caverns try to rescue a friend being held in a cave by kidnappers demanding money for her release. (Grades 7-12)

Mystery in the Cave by Gertrude Chandler Warner (J)

While exploring the caves around Dragon's Mouth Cavern, a series of unusual and somewhat frightening events convinces the Alden children that someone does not want them around. Boxcar Children Mystery #50 (Grades 3-5)

Weirdo’s War by Michael Coleman (J)

While trapped in a cave with one of his fellow students, a longtime enemy, Daniel relives his troubled relationship with his schoolmates. (Grades 4-7)

Wild Man Island by Will Hobbs (J)

After fourteen-year-old Andy slips away from his kayaking group to visit the wilderness site of his archaeologist father's death, a storm strands him on Admiralty Island, Alaska, where he manages to survive, encounters unexpected animal and human inhabitants, and looks for traces of the earliest prehistoric immigrants to America. (Grades 5-9)

Non-Fiction

Beneath the Earth: The Facts and the Fables by Finn Bevan (J398.209 B467b)

A collection of myths and stories from various cultures which attempt to explain elements of the underground including earthquakes, volcanoes, caves, and springs. (Grades 1-3)

Cave of Lascaux: The Cave of Prehistoric Wall Paintings by Brad Burnham (J944 B935cl)

Recounts the discovery of the caves in France that have artwork on the walls made by the Magdalenian people more than 17,000 years ago. (Grades K-3)

Caves and Caverns by Gail Gibbons (E551.447 G352c)

Text and labeled illustrations describe the formation and physical features of various kinds of caves, with a brief section on spelunking. (Grades 2-3)

Caves of the Thousand Buddhas: Treasure-House of Chinese Art by Brad Burnham (J931 B935c)

Discusses caves in China devoted to Buddhist art and sculpture. (Grades K-3)

Limestone Caves by Roy Gallant (J551.447 G135l)

Describes types of caves, particularly the formation and physical features of limestone caves, and provides information about the animal and plant life found in caves, as well as about human cave dwellers and their paintings. (Grades 4-7)

Mammoth Cave: The World’s Longest Cave System by Brad Burnham (J976.9754 B935m)

Details the formation of the Mammoth Cave system of Kentucky and describes the natural wonders. (Grades K-3)

Mystery of the Lascaux Cave by Dorothy Hinshaw Patent (J944 P272m)

Discusses the paintings on the walls of Lascaux Cave in France including the cave's discovery, its significance, and the efforts to preserve the paintings themselves. (Grades 4-7)

Painters of the Caves by Patricia Lauber (J759.0112 L361p)

Describes the 1994 discovery made in Chauvet, France, of a cave with Stone Age rock paintings, and discusses the significance of cave art to people living in prehistoric as well as modern times. (Grades 4-8)

Websites

A Virtual Tour of Cave Paintings

Cave & Rock paintings of India

Pictures of Cave Paintings

The Cave of Chauvet

The Cave of Lascaux