A worthy cultural treasury with appeal to both the faithful and irreligious.
Following her Treasury of Egyptian Mythology (2013) and Tales From the Arabian Nights (2016), Napoli brings her literary eye to a yet another ancient tradition.
Napoli opens with ebullient prose in her retelling of Creation with a “wondrous beginning” and “crystalline start” leading to an Earth that is “lush” and “fragrant,” standing in pointed contrast to the sparse simplicity of the source material found in Genesis 1. Continuing onward she spends the first half of the treasury covering stories from just the first two books of the Torah, retelling the ubiquitous tale of Noah and the establishment of Jewish identity. As the Children of Israel reach the promised land, the treasury begins to diverge from a strict chronology, and succeeding entries follow the order of the Jewish canon, introducing the Nevi’im with David, Goliath, and later Jonah, then on to the Ketuvim, in which such women as Ruth and Esther shine. Title notwithstanding, this collection does not include the Christian New Testament. Balit’s bold illustrations accompany each tale and feature a diversity of skin tones that reflects the many lands from northeast Africa to the Middle East where the drama unfolds; Adam and Eve appear to be sub-Saharan Africans, echoing current thinking on human origins. Sidebars throughout add historical and scientific context to the stories presented while backmatter includes maps, timelines, and brief biographies of the major players.
A worthy cultural treasury with appeal to both the faithful and irreligious. (Religion. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 22, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-4263-3538-9
Page Count: 208
Publisher: National Geographic
Review Posted Online: July 27, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2019
A fascinating tale, worthy of retelling, that includes plenty of smoothly incorporated details of life in Mesopotamia.
Many are familiar with the biblical story of Noah’s Ark. Finkel retells a much earlier ark tale, discovered in the cuneiform writing of the people of Mesopotamia.
Very-quick, a 9-year-old boy, overhears Enki, one of the gods, tell his father, Atra-hasis, that he must build a giant coracle, a round boat, and “save life.” Enki is very specific about its construction, which is a good thing since Atra-hasis doesn’t know much of anything about boat building. Fortunately, he’s able to convince many neighbors to help out, since the scale of the boat is immense, and he’s only got seven days to both complete the work and gather up pairs of all the world’s animals. Happily, the animals start arriving on their own as soon as the boat is completed. Inserted in the fable is one chapter from the point of view of the gods, one of whom, highly cantankerous (and the most powerful), is tired of humankind; their group dynamics are almost humorous—and very human, as well. Finkel includes direct quotes from the ancient cuneiform tablets in bold type. Giles’ naïve, black-and-white illustrations enhance the presentation. Brief and presented in relatively simple language, this story is both amusing and intriguing.
A fascinating tale, worthy of retelling, that includes plenty of smoothly incorporated details of life in Mesopotamia. (Historical fiction. 8-12)Pub Date: Nov. 14, 2017
ISBN: 978-0-500-65122-3
Page Count: 112
Publisher: Thames & Hudson
Review Posted Online: Aug. 1, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 15, 2017
This fails to capture the joy of the saint so often associated with a love of nature.
This life of the popular saint is illustrated with works of art and features quotes from Pope Francis.
It is difficult to pin down the audience for this biography. Kids will need understandings of brothers as monks (as opposed to relatives), lepers, and stigmata. The sometimes-difficult concepts and sophisticated artwork demand an older audience than the picture-book format it is likely to attract. Elschner writes (in an uncredited translation), “Francis sought poverty as his companion in life.” The text refers to Francis’ famous Canticle of the Sun, but it’s just that: a reference, not a description or the text of it. And Elschner describes a Christmas Eve service Francis held: “He sent an ox and a donkey to a cave. He filled the manger with fresh hay. There lay the child.” Wait. What child? The historical works of art that depict the life of Saint Francis, while beautiful, also may confuse young readers, as Francis’ appearance changes from page to page. In one instance, before the page that talks of his death, he appears in a cloud above a sick child, seemingly dead himself. In another, the chosen illustration depicts not the stigmata that the majority of the text talks about but Francis’ follower Sylvester’s expulsion of evil spirits from a town. Pope Francis’ quotes are mostly relevant to the content on the page and include date and event references.
This fails to capture the joy of the saint so often associated with a love of nature. (Picture book/biography. 8-12)Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2017
ISBN: 978-988-8341-44-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: minedition
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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