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THE WISEST MAN IN THE WORLD: A Legend of Ancient Israel by Benjamin Retold by Elkin

THE WISEST MAN IN THE WORLD: A Legend of Ancient Israel

By

Pub Date: Oct. 15th, 1968
Publisher: Parents' Magazine Press

Ably represented by Anita Lobel, the ornate place is splendidly, almost shockingly colored and Solomon, of course, is king as the visiting Queen of Sheba tests his wisdom. The problems go from simpler (""to draw a thread through a winding hole"" --Solomon calls for a silkworm) to more complex viz. how to find the real flower planted in a bed of takes. As Solomon freed the bee in the beginning, so the bee comes to his rescue by lighting on the only posy with pollen. ""None is so great that he needs no help, and none is so small that he cannot give it."" The visitation of the Queen is recounted in 1 Kings 10:1 but this is the old folktale version infused with a quiet certainty. On each page at least the text, and often the illustration as wel, is framed by design reminiscent of manuscript decoration. Well refined from Solomon's mine, by the Elkin-Lobel collaboration.