A breezy text kept afloat by the buoyant illustrations—if only Mrs. Noah had been invited along for the ride as well.
Noah packs up an ark full of critters and heads out to sea in a gale in this rollicking, rhymed version of the Old Testament story.
The short text comprises one quatrain per page, with just a few words per line. The verses describe different animals and the sounds of the thunderstorm, with lots of onomatopoeia (“Crash! Boom! Rumble!”) and evocative language detailing the animal antics (“Thump, stomp, slither, / up they scurry”). The frightened animals pile into Noah’s bed two by two as the storm increases in intensity, with an action-filled climax involving a listing ship, a broken bed and a pair of stinky skunks. Noah calms all the creatures with soothing lullabies, and peace prevails as the animals bed down at last. Chapman’s appealing illustrations make the most of the humorously crowded conditions on the ark, with expressive elephants, slithering snakes and leaping tigers. Noah’s wife is nowhere to be seen in this interpretation, an unfortunate omission when all the other inhabitants of the ark are shown in pairs. There is no real religious content in the story beyond the basic premise, making this more of a humorous introduction to rather than a retelling of the Bible story.
A breezy text kept afloat by the buoyant illustrations—if only Mrs. Noah had been invited along for the ride as well. (Picture book/religion. 2-7)Pub Date: Aug. 4, 2014
ISBN: 978-0-310-73784-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Zonderkidz
Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014
BOOK REVIEW
A sweet, colorful start for a Christian spiritual journey.
A cheery child gives thanks to God.
“When I see a rainbow / High up in the sky / I say a little prayer of thanks, / And here’s the reason why: // Because God loves me!” This board book’s focus is the comforting notion that God loves all his children, and no matter what, he will always look out for them. The text follows an ABCB rhyme scheme, breaking after every stanza to repeat the phrase “Because God loves me!” The small, light-skinned child has spiky brown hair and wears a dress; both the child and a chubby accompanying dog are appealingly illustrated with a bright, simple color palette and scratchy lines that appear to have been made with colored pencil. God is the only name given for the deity, implying a primarily Christian audience. The book’s message is clear, and its construction is sturdy, suiting this well to parents who are beginning to have conversations with their little readers regarding their beliefs.
A sweet, colorful start for a Christian spiritual journey. (Board book. 2-4)Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2016
ISBN: 978-1-58925-237-0
Page Count: 24
Publisher: Tiger Tales
Review Posted Online: Nov. 13, 2016
BOOK REVIEW
An upbeat holiday tale marred by spotty logic.
An unusual Hanukkah miracle.
On the first night of Hanukkah, Ruthie’s parents give her a pair of holiday-themed “pajamakkahs.” Dad says that she can wear them to the family’s “Hanukkah Pajamakkah Party” on the eighth night. Ruthie wants to wear them “all eight nights.” Mom agrees but tells her to keep them “spotless.” Despite Ruthie’s precautions, she accrues myriad stains as she helps cook latkes, lights the menorah, does arts and crafts, and crashes into a pile of jelly doughnuts. But there are no spots here, says Ruthie—just “streaks,” “splotches,” “sparkles,” and “squishes.” On the final night of Hanukkah, the whole family and even the dog sport pajamakkahs of their own. Mom’s aghast at Ruthie’s pj’s. Dad says it’s a miracle they lasted eight nights, but he sees spots. “Dotted, not spotted,” Ruthie counters. Other, racially diverse, pajama-clad family members arrive. Ruthie twirls the dreidel and, inexplicably, causes a whirlwind, upending latkes, art supplies, and more. Are those spots on Ruthie’s pajamakkahs at last? Finally, Ruthie says, “a Hanukkah miracle!” This thinly plotted, only mildly amusing story is rife with logical holes. Even the youngest readers won’t believe Ruthie’s parents didn’t insist the badly soiled pj’s should get tossed in the washer sooner. It isn’t clear what’s so miraculous about Ruthie’s dirty jammies, and the child’s literalness wears thin. The cheerful, digitally created illustrations feature familiar Hanukkah symbols but are otherwise undistinguished. Ruthie and her immediate family are pale-skinned.
An upbeat holiday tale marred by spotty logic. (Picture book. 4-7)Pub Date: Sept. 3, 2024
ISBN: 9781728284576
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Sourcebooks Jabberwocky
Review Posted Online: Aug. 3, 2024
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2024
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