Why Stone Age families settled by rivers

For most of human history, a river was the difference between a hard life and a possible one. Fresh water to drink, fish and birds to hunt, reeds and clay along the banks, and a clear path to travel — a river gave a family almost everything it needed in one place.

When Kavi’s family follows the sparkling water to a new home, they are doing what real Stone Age families did: reading the land for the signs of a good place to stay. Talk with your child about what those signs might be — where would you build, and why?