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GENESIS

Young (Night Visitors, 1995, etc.), with his sure elegance, exceptional take on nuance and suggestion, and the palpable luxury of his colors, creates a compelling version of the Judeo-Christian creation story. Against the stately language of the King James Genesis, Young's palette of dark jewel tones suggest and intimate the mystery and majesty of creation. A tiny light gleams in the blue- black void; on the next spread, that light cracks open the darkness as the waters and the firmament divide. A shape hints at a great serpent or animal; then animal faces peer from the grasses and bird flight from the clouds. When the earth brings forth living creatures, the shark appears under the wingspread of the eagle; man crouches, his hands clutching at the earth from whence he came. The hand of God holds myriad living shapes as the command comes to be fruitful and multiply; those forms re-form in the contours of Adam and Eve. While not for those who want a literal illustration of Genesis, this beautiful book honors the Word and the story. (Picture book. 4-8)

Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1997

ISBN: 0-06-025356-8

Page Count: 32

Publisher: HarperCollins

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 1997

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JODIE’S HANUKKAH DIG

Jodie wants to be an archeologist; she’s eager to uncover treasures of ancient lands, just like her dad. Fortunately, she lives in Israel and is thrilled when her father agrees to take her on a dig to Modi’in, the site where Judah Maccabee fought the Syrians. Excited to help, Jodie convinces her father and the site’s head professor to let her scout down a small hole. Carefully lowered within a bucket, she announces a passageway of caves and grabs a possible arrowhead before being lifted back up. Topaz’s watercolors delineate a freckle-faced little girl whose agility and curiosity parallel the Maccabeean stamina in their struggle. Jodie’s find could possibly be from the time of the Maccabees, as she explains, who “must have been nimble enough to crawl through the tiny passageways, brave enough not to be afraid of the dark, and strong enough to fight off all the people who thought they were too little to win.” Levine provides an intriguing alternative to conventional retellings of the Hanukkah tale, juxtaposing archeology’s importance in understanding history against the ancient tradition. (Picture book. 5-8)

Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-8225-7391-3

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Kar-Ben

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2008

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DRUMMER BOY

“The Steadfast Tin Soldier” meets “The Little Drummer Boy” in this original, sentimental tale that carries a wistful tone unusual in Christmas stories. A few weeks before Christmas, an unnamed boy receives a mysterious package containing a small mechanical toy soldier with a drum, which quickly becomes his favorite toy. The drummer boy accidentally falls into the trash, leading to a snowy odyssey through the city and surrounding countryside. He is carried off to other locations by an owl, a dog and a raccoon, ending up in a snow-covered cemetery. On Christmas morning the drummer boy is found by his owner when the boy visits his grandfather’s grave, and the toy soldier is taken home and placed in the family’s Christmas crèche, where he plays his best song for the Christ Child. Though the plot is a touch maudlin, Long’s striking art and an extremely large trim size coalesce into a successful whole, with dramatic double-page spreads showing the transporting animals and a remarkable snowman looming large against the tiny size of the small but steadfast drummer boy. (Picture book. 4-7)

Pub Date: Oct. 2, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-399-25174-0

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Philomel

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2008

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