JONAH AND THE GREAT FISH

by Warwick--Adapt. & Illus. Hutton ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 18, 1984

Like Hutton's Noah and the Great Flood, this is essentially bland: a plain, spare retelling (""Jonah was frightened by the Lord's command. So he fled from the presence of the Lord, down to the port of Joppa"") with grave, spacious watercolors most noteworthy for their dramatic perspectives. You'll enjoy the sail akimbo, for instance, as the Lord sends a great wind after the small ship where Noah has taken refuge. (Another nice nautical moment: oars and sail overboard, ship diminishing in the distance.) And there is certainly something to be said for Hutton's spectrum of blues, as well as his staging, when Noah heads into the deep and the ""great fish"" swims up to swallow him. But it is, at best, a physical drama: close-up, Noah and the other characters pantomime emotions and look, if anything, silly. (Ditto Jonah lying wild-eyed on a heap of fish in the big fish's belly.) A certain watery solemnity, an occasional (extraneous) light touch; but little force, little human involvement.

Pub Date: April 18, 1984

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Atheneum

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 15, 1984

Categories: CHILDREN'S