I love how informational yet fun this read is. The illustrations are beautiful and the rhymes were not cringy. I like that it doesn't shy away from the scientific terminology even though it's for kids. I enjoyed the fact that I learned some things as well. Great book for kids.

We loved this book and my son requested a copy for his birthday- of course we said yes.
Informative and beautiful. Who could ask for more

Two young people and their adult guide travel into the earth to explore the wonders of a cave. The glossary at the end helps readers navigate content specific vocabulary.

Its provide a lot of facts. Not that just a story. Recommend to read it with kids and explain to them one by one slowly until they can understand. Lets explore the caves before sleep!

This was a nice and interesting book about caves and different cave formations. I would recommend this to kids and families.

In this beautiful, rhyming book, we follow two children as they go on a hike into a cave, meet cave animals and see amazing sights inside a cave. Not only do readers get to learn the names of cave features (some food-related names that I think young readers will love!), but the author equates the treasures inside the caves to the treasures inside us. Such a heartwarming way to end the book and open up discussions about what we treasure about nature and each other.

Thanks to Netgalley and the publishers for the ARC! This book is a fantastic introduction to the world of caves! Both my husband and I, and our four children, loved this book. I love non-fiction that includes rhyming as it engages our younger readers. The artwork showcased throughout the book is fantastic & allows readers to really picture what caves are like! Especially when they've never seen or been in one before. Now my kids keep asking me to go in a cave! Definitely recommend this book to parents of younger and older kids.

Very cute and sweet. If provided a lot of facts and information in a very digestible way. Some advanced vocabulary but nothing a kid couldn’t learn. LOVE that it’s a rhyming book! That tends to hold the attention of my Storytime kiddos better than anything else. Some of the pictures were very beautiful.

As someone who knows very little about caves, this was a nice introduction that would be completely appropriate for young children. The rhyming text, colorful artwork, and interesting facts about caves and the creatures who live in them were enjoyable.

We loved this book! Not only is the illustration beautiful, it's educational and fun. This is definitely a keeper!

Really enjoyed the book from start to finish. Author wrote this with great pace. This book is now one of my top books of the year for sure. Loved every second of this book.

In a Cave is a picture book for children ages 4 to 8 written by Heather Ferranti Kinser and illustrated by Bonnie Kelso. The book offers an easy-to-follow introduction to caving and the fascinating world hidden beneath the Earth’s surface. The story centers around a mother who takes two of her children on a trip inside a cave. As their trusted guide, she describes everything they find in the cave, from creatures who live in total darkness to cave formations that have slowly developed over thousands of years. They are careful to follow the caver’s motto: Take nothing but pictures. Leave nothing but footprints. Kill nothing but time. When they finish exploring the underground cavern, they return home to the rest of their family, eager to share all that they have learned.

The book is well-written and informative. Kinser’s use of rhyming text keeps the narrative flowing smoothly while engaging both the reader and listener. The text includes many scientific terms that are listed in a helpful “VO-CAVE-ULARY” at the end of the book. Kelso’s bright, colorful illustrations feature well-illuminated views of the cave’s interior. Inside the front cover are drawings of caving equipment, including clothing and gear, that the cavers will need for their journey underground. Drawings of cave creatures, including cave spiders and cave fish, and cave features, such as stalactites and stalagmites, are shown inside the back cover. A note from Kinser and Kelso includes more information about caves and the organizations that preserve and manage them.

The book is an excellent choice for children interested in learning more about caves, especially those preparing for their first cave tour. It also serves as a good reference tool for helping young explorers learn to identify some of the unique creatures and geological features found in underground caves.

Two young explores join a guide (who appears to be a professional) for an exciting trip into a cave. Following walkways with safety railings, and the lights from their flashlights, the children discover bats, troglobites, and other cave dwelling creatures. They see various features of caves and at one point turn off their lights to see a "sky" full of bioluminescence. After their spelunking adventure, the guide brings the children home to their family.

This is a cool and unique story that introduces caves in an appreciative, non scary, way. There is no tragedy or accident, just a safe adventure into one of our planet's natural wonders. As a reader who grew up visiting Howe Caverns in Upstate NY, I was excited to read this book and found the illustrations vivid and engaging, if a touch cartoony. I like the focus on safety, though I thought the book could use a safety warning at the beginning to never enter caves you find in nature unless you are with a trained professional.

I would recommend this book as a classroom read aloud, science mentor text, or lap book. Kids will enjoy looking at the beautiful illustrations and imagining going deep underground, and if you ever have a chance, check out Howe Caverns or one of the many other show caves around the world!

Thank you to Gnome Road Publishing and NetGalley for the egalley copy of this book. All opinions are my own, and I can't wait to get my hands on a physical copy of the book to share with others!

A safe but encouraging rhyming introduction to the fascinating world of caves. See drawings of the tools of the cave explorer, the various types of limestone formations, learn the terms and etiquette of visiting caves that are safe and led by a guide. Wonderful!
The illustrations by Bonnie Kelso are fun, quite simple, brilliant, and absolutely designed for learning.
Well suited for reading WITH someone of any age including ESL, and great for gifting to anyone, but especially to a school or your local public library!
I requested and received a free temporary e-book on Adobe Digital Editions from Gnome Road Publishing via NetGalley. Thank you!
@CBCBook #GuidedSpelunking #Rhyming

I went into the book knowing what would be inside. Caves right? But my Grandson and I were very happy to see the terrific illustrations by Bonnie Kelso brought the cave to life and perfectly went along with the poetry of author Heather Ferranti Kinser.. We used the book to talk about vocabulary so he could tell me more about the trip he took to a cave last year. Wonderful memories. I want to thank #Gnome Road Publishing and #NetGalley for a Advanced readers copy of this title in exchange for an honest review.

"A cave is a castle, beneath and unseen,
away from the sky and the birds and the green."

This book offers an entertaining and informative look at what life is like under our feet. Through the eyes of three intrepid explorers, we get to learn about underground rock formations, and creatures that make caves their home. Bonnie Kelso's intriguing artwork really adds to the experience.

What a fun way to learn with this adventure. Follow along as our friends enter agave and discover the amazing works inside. They discover animals and rocks and so much more. Following their guide as she leads them in this journey of discovery. This was a wonderful book. With well written and rhythmic story we explore the world of caves and all the magic they can hold. We learned a lot from this book. Beautiful, detailed illustrations help us feel like we are exploring under the earth along with them. My 4-year-old was so intrigued by this story and kept asking more and more questions wanting to learn more. This book is perfect for your little adventurer and science lover. I highly recommend this book for your future adventurer. This would also recommend this book to be shared in the classroom. It gives so many opportunities for learning, conversation and fun. A great story to spark your little one's imagination. Enjoy this adventure with your family.

In a Nutshell: An informative picture book, using a story to depict the wonders inside a cave. Great content, great illustrations.

The book has three characters – two children and their guide – exploring a cave. The guide explains to them the varied mind-blowing features and creatures in the dark cave that is lit up by their torches. From bats to troglobites, stalactities and stalagmites, cave popcorn and pearls, dripstone and shelfstone, the guide touches upon all the wonders seen while spelunking. When the children return home and go to bed, they dream of the beautiful things they saw that day in the cave.

The topic of the book is quite unusual, and therein lies its biggest appeal. While most picture books focus on land formations such as mountains, beaches and rivers, hardly any venture into caves. In movies too, caves are always (and rightly) portrayed as dark and dangerous places where it is easy to get lost. But with the right guide and equipment, caves can be fascinating. This book demonstrates the how and the why.

I was impressed by all the information in the story. Kids are sure to be blown away by the variety of rock structures within caves. I appreciate how the book highlighted safety precautions such as going into the cave only when accompanied by the guide and walking carefully when the footholds are slick. Plus points for having a female guide in the story.

More importantly, the story also stressed upon leaving no litter in caves and taking no rocks as souvenirs. Gotta love a book that teaches the balance between exploring nature and respecting nature.

The story is written in simple rhythmic prose in AABB scheme. I am not usually a fan of rhyming text, but the rhymes in this case are in proper metre and conducive to reading aloud. That said, the content is a bit too difficult for early readers. Because of some tough words, the book will be better suited to slightly older children, say 6-8 years. For this age group, I would have preferred the text to be in prose than in rhymes. Of course, this is just my preference. The authors have done a wonderful job with the rhymes, no denying that. No verse seems forced into place just for the sake of the rhyming scheme.

A helpful “Vo-cave-ulary” section at the end contains the glossary of all the tough spelunking terms. There is also a brilliant note by the author and the illustrator, containing some interesting cave trivia and a few general guidelines for kids interested in visiting caves.

While the content itself is worth a read, the cave illustrations make the book mind-blowing. I loved the cover with the silhouette of the three explorers against the dark cave. Even in the inside pages, every feature of the cave is brought to life by the graphics. The underground scenes appear almost magical instead of dank, gloomy or scary. I wasn’t a big fan of the art style used to draw the humans, but the rest of the graphics were gorgeous.

Recommended to little adventurers who would love to learn more about what mesmerising formations and critters lie in caves. This book would work well in a classroom for discussing geographical features of the earth.

4.25 stars.

My thanks to Gnome Road Publishing and NetGalley for the DRC of “In a Cave”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the book.

This book follows the bold adventures of one family into caves deep underground. Charming rhyming couplets with equally sweet illustrations take us from the entrance of the cave, all throughout and then finally back home, all the while teaching about caving etiquette, and stewardship of the natural ecosystem.

Respecting the animals, insects and rock formations alike are is a wonderful lesson to be taught. I liked how they included the abiotic elements of the cave as equally needing of respect and space, as it's not just other animals who can be impacted by humans! An excellent lesson for young ones!

The authors note at the end really goes to pack in the lessons learnt in the sweet family's adventure, and the vo-cave-ulary too reviews a slew of cave formations and cave relative terms.

Overall, excellent fun story, with an impactful message.

Adorable! We love caves so this was a must read and it did not disappoint! From the cute, rhythmic story to the adorable, realistic illustrations, this book was a huge hit!!