While the gimmick is fun, this ark doesn’t hold water.
A very simple retelling of Noah and the Great Flood.
In rhyming verse, God tells Noah (“a brave, good man”) to build an ark and gather the animals as a couple of unnamed members of his family help out. Five double-page spreads present the scenes from this section of Genesis, ending with the appearance of the rainbow as God says “No floods like this again.” While the text succeeds in highlighting the parts of the story of most interest to the youngest children, the verse has several hiccups. The boldly colored art, which looks to have been created digitally, includes a wide variety of critters in the scenes, including two clown fish jumping through the waves. Unfortunately, it falls down in presentation as some of the cartoon animals and backgrounds look quite detailed and crisp, while others are jarringly blurred. More enticing for little ones will be the shaped, die-cut pages. The top of the book is arched like the rainbow or, depending on the page, the ceiling of the ark, and the curve also acts as a handle for toddlers to grasp. The die cuts allow the animals to peek through subsequent pages, but some stray images, like the top of the ark or Noah’s head, show through in odd places.
While the gimmick is fun, this ark doesn’t hold water. (Board book. 1-3)Pub Date: Jan. 7, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-545-60557-1
Page Count: 10
Publisher: Little Shepherd/Scholastic
Review Posted Online: March 2, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2014
A well-intentioned read held back by some design flaws.
Little ones learn about God’s creations.
God made all the creatures in the animal kingdom, and this board book aims to teach toddlers about them. The text is formatted with abcb rhyme scheme (“God made the panda / who eats bamboo shoots // God made the owl / who whoos and hoots”), with one animal presented per double-page spread. Just the tops of the animals’ heads are presented, with their eyes cut out so little ones can hold up the book and turn the illustration into a mask. The book ends with the assurance that God made us too, and a white baby is on hand with its eyes cut out as well, for an effect that is both limiting and rather creepy. The text is simple enough and leaves room for interpretation. Creationists and believers in evolution may find common-enough ground: the book says that God made the animals but not how or how long it took. Less successful is the mask component, which is clumsy at best and might scare sensitive little ones at worst.
A well-intentioned read held back by some design flaws. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: March 21, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-5064-2185-8
Page Count: 22
Publisher: Sparkhouse
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
BOOK REVIEW
Engaging material for little ones embarking on their relationships with God.
The Bible tale in board-book format.
The tale of Noah’s Ark may be the perfect story to tell little ones starting their journey with God or simply exploring the classics of Western literature. There’s cute animals, a giant boat, and spectacle to spare. This board book boils down the tale of Noah to its essence: Noah’s “a good man,” and he builds the ark, gathers the animals, and survives the flood. There’s no mention of the promise God made after the flood, which is curious (the Lord’s promise never to flood the world again may ease some fears), but the retelling otherwise hews to the familiar story. Size necessarily causes it to skimp on the animals, however; here, Noah saves elephants, giraffes, sheep, crocodiles, monkeys, and doves, two of each. The concurrently published In the Beginning uses similar tactics to tell the story of Creation. Both books feature minimalist artwork on uncluttered pages, thus emphasizing the objects and accompanying words. The illustrations are handsomely rendered with earthy tones and rounded, clean-edged figures. All human characters in each book are white. These well-constructed, small board books are best suited for the earliest of readers.
Engaging material for little ones embarking on their relationships with God. (Board book. 1-2)Pub Date: April 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-8249-1991-7
Page Count: 16
Publisher: WorthyKids/Ideals
Review Posted Online: March 14, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: July 1, 2017
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