WORSE AND WORSE ON NOAH'S ARK

Life on the ark wasn’t always a lark.

Noah follows God’s commandment to build a really big ark with the help of his wife and his sons. In a bit of linguistic license, Mrs. Noah turns to Yiddish to complain, as do the sons. What with the constant rain, things just get “WORSE and WORSE and WORSE.” The animals arrive, and the ark gets crowded, dirty, and throwing-up smelly. Yes, it keeps getting worse. Then the critters begin to argue among themselves and eye one another hungrily. The smells increase, and the Noah family wonders one more time, “Could things get any worse?” They do when the ark springs a leak, but Noah has a solution: cooperation. Tranquility and a good-neighbor policy result. The flood ends, and the Noah family and the animals all happily disembark. In her notes, the author states that she has told her tale following the Judaic tradition of midrash, stories that elucidate Biblical text. She also hopes that readers of her book will learn to live in “harmony,” with “empathy,” and “peacefully.” Mineker’s illustrations against a white background provide amusing views of the animals; readers will chuckle at details such as the blissfully sleeping sloths and sneezing squirrels. The humans are depicted with white and brown faces.

The story of Noah and the Ark provides a lesson in living together in peace