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
One of those rare birds: an original and entertaining Christmas story with its own understated charm.
On Christmas Eve, a little girl named Ollie meets one of Santa’s reindeer.
Ollie seems to be a big fan of reindeer, as she wears a furry reindeer costume to bed and sleeps with a stuffed reindeer toy. When she hears the sound of jingle bells late on Christmas Eve, Ollie goes outside alone with her sled to find the source. She finds a red collar with shiny, silver jingle bells and then meets a reindeer looking for the lost collar. Her new reindeer friend takes Ollie for a thrilling ride through the starry sky before delivering her home and rejoining the reindeer team for Christmas Eve deliveries. On Christmas morning Ollie finds her present from Santa, a snow globe with a tiny replica of her reindeer friend inside. Delightful illustrations in a muted palette of grays are enhanced with touches of deep red and shiny silver that stand out against the snow. Ollie’s surprising ride on the reindeer’s back is enchanting, shown in a wordless double-page spread with shiny jingle bells and a swath of silvery dots indicating the magical nature of reindeer flight. Subtle surprises include matching patterns on Ollie’s bed quilt and the reindeer’s saddle blanket as well as occasional, cleverly designed die-cut windows that offer a glimpse of the following page. Ollie and Santa are both white.
One of those rare birds: an original and entertaining Christmas story with its own understated charm. (Picture book. 2-6)Pub Date: Sept. 19, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-4814-8686-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Paula Wiseman/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
This cheerful, easy-to-understand story offers a satisfying lesson for families who want to convey the Christian meaning of...
Little Bunny celebrates with his animal friends at a Christmas party celebrating the birth of Jesus.
When the young rabbit receives an invitation to a Christmas party, his mother explains that Christmas is Jesus’ birthday. Little Bunny dreams of the presents he likes to receive for his own birthday, such as toys and sweets, and wonders what present he can take to the party as a gift for Jesus. The bunny finds his friends decorating a tree outside and placing wrapped presents under it with tags listing qualities and goals such as kindness, faith, and peace. Little Bunny makes his own package with a tag specifying “Love,” and his mother explains more about the connections between Jesus, Christmas, and the concept of love as “the greatest gift anyone can give on Christmas.” The simple story is told in just a few words, introducing some basic concepts of Christianity in terms accessible to young children. Charming, soft-focus illustrations create a cheery personality for the little rabbit and wintry settings of snow-covered trees and darkening night skies. The final scene shows the group of animal friends gathered together at night, with a glowing star in the sky also serving as the star for the Christmas tree.
This cheerful, easy-to-understand story offers a satisfying lesson for families who want to convey the Christian meaning of the Christmas holiday. (Picture book/religion. 2-6)Pub Date: Nov. 7, 2017
ISBN: 978-1-6809-9319-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: Aug. 20, 2017
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2017
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