by King James Bible & illustrated by Gennady Spirin ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 1, 2004
Spirin’s detailed, luminous paintings provide a traditional interpretation of the familiar Old Testament story, using the old-fashioned, measured cadences of the King James Bible as the text. The elegant design includes text blocks incorporated into illustrations of God as a white-haired old man looking down from his heaven or depictions of Noah looking out of portholes in the Ark. These facing text pages utilize mirror images in the illustrated elements, subtly reinforcing the two-by-two theme. A recurring circular inset in the upper corners of the text pages includes the relevant Bible verse citations or a related illustration, such as the dove returning with an olive leaf. The pages relating the story are interspersed with wordless spreads that allow Spirin more freedom to explore the sweep of the story by showing the enormous Ark, the parade of intriguing animal pairs, and the surging waters of the flood overshadowed by black clouds. These spreads have a mysteriously dusky lighting giving them the look of old masterpieces from a long-gone era. (poster) (Picture book/nonfiction. 5-9)
Pub Date: April 1, 2004
ISBN: 0-8050-6181-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2004
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by King James Bible & illustrated by James Bernardin
by Chris Raschka & illustrated by Chris Raschka ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 1, 1998
Raschka continues his exploration of visualized music, in this case the 150-year-old Shaker hymn of the title. This book may not be as esoteric nor contrapuntal as Mysterious Thelonious (1997), but it is just as gorgeously illustrated. Raschka deploys an elegant palette of blue, yellow, brown, green, and red to fashion close-up, boldly outlined images of creatures—cat, rabbit, bird, turtle, etc.—sharing a landscape tangled with flowers and grasses. It’s not too far off the mark to imagine that the great slabs of oil-crayon colors suggest the whirling circle dances of the Shakers, particularly when the hymn is placed in its historical context; there is abundant energy in the artwork, with its undeniable sense of warmth and community. Every spread has a band of color in which Raschka has hand-lettered the words of the song, which is also included with musical notations in an author’s note. (Picture book. 5-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1998
ISBN: 0-8050-5143-0
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 1998
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by Chris Raschka ; illustrated by Chris Raschka
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by Rand Burkert ; illustrated by Chris Raschka
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by Chris Raschka ; illustrated by Chris Raschka
by Avi & illustrated by James Watling ‧ RELEASE DATE: Feb. 28, 1997
Avi's first entry in the I Can Read chapter-book series tells the true story of Roger Williams's 1635 flight from arrest for "preaching dangerous new ideas." He heads into the wilds of colonial New England, eventually sending for his family to join him in founding a new settlement where religious freedom is allowed, which his daughter, the narrator, names Providence. The story covers only his decision to flee and the highlights of his subsequent journey, an odd time frame that leaves out the events leading up to Williams's trial, his life with the Indians, the rigors of founding a new settlement, or even much detail about the Puritan intolerance from which he fled. During the trial, only the gasps of spectators indicate the contrast between their views and his, the latter of which will seem right and just to contemporary readers, and therefore unfathomable as the basis for prosecution. The illustrations are soft and pale, lacking drama; many of the characters share the same expression, looking as if they are whistling. A complement to other sources on Williams's life—this is neither interesting enough for general readers, nor specific enough for those not already grounded in the facts. (Fiction. 7-9)
Pub Date: Feb. 28, 1997
ISBN: 0-06-025179-4
Page Count: 48
Publisher: HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 1, 1997
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