Afterward, Everything Was Different
Rafael Yockteng and Jairo Buitrago (translated by Elisa Amado)
Greystone Kids

Wordless until the very last double spread, this story starts with six spreads of a bison hunt and only then do we have the title page. By that time readers will have already been sucked in by Rafael Yockteng’s powerfully atmospheric black-and-white illustrations, even though the hunt goes badly for the hominid hunters of the Pleistocene era.

The men then rejoin the others in their tribe and we follow the travels of one particular family as they journey,

clad in animal furs, apart from the young children, who are naked, even in the heavy snow, always on the lookout for signs of predators be they from footprints or other signs. As they search for a cave in which to make a home, the intrepid travellers come upon many wild creatures, one of which becomes a rug in their cave.

One girl is left alone in the cave and having paid close attention to everything thus far, she creates with a charred stick, beautiful cave drawings on the walls depicting the details of their journey.

This hugely thought-provoking book is a wonderful testament to survival, to art and to stories and how they make us human. Share and ponder upon it at home or in the classroom. Afterward, Everything Was Different is bound to spark conversations on human history and awe at the power of Yockteng’s art drawn in graphite and white ink.
(Backmatter provides further information on the Pleistocene era.)