adapted by Linda Falken ; illustrated by Metropolitan Museum of Art ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 14, 2015
Children may need an adult’s help to understand the significance of the illustrations, but this thoughtfully designed book...
A wide variety of works from the Metropolitan Museum of Art’s collection and those of other museums serve as the illustrations in this retelling of the Old Testament tale of Noah and his Ark.
An introductory page explains the significance of the story, describing how it is found in many cultures and is a part of Christian, Jewish and Islamic traditions. The serviceable text for this retelling is adapted from the book of Genesis in the King James Version of the Bible. Text blocks are set off on tan, textured backgrounds that suggest parchment and are surrounded by attractive, patterned gold borders. Each spread features a different style of illustration, ranging from tapestries to oil paintings and lithographs to engravings. Concluding pages offer thumbnails of the illustrations with complete information about the artists and current locations of the works, along with interesting comments about the artists’ styles and the eras represented. This wide range of artistic interpretations is a relatively sophisticated approach to retelling Noah’s tale, and the intriguing, high-quality reproductions ranging from the 15th to the 20th centuries are both a visual delight and a minicourse in art history.
Children may need an adult’s help to understand the significance of the illustrations, but this thoughtfully designed book deserves attention and a place on the crowded shelf of Noah’s Ark retellings. (Picture book/religion. 5-9)Pub Date: April 14, 2015
ISBN: 978-1-4197-1361-3
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Abrams
Review Posted Online: Jan. 9, 2015
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Jan. 15, 2015
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by Brendan Powell Smith & illustrated by Brendan Powell Smith ‧ RELEASE DATE: May 1, 2012
Those who favor a literal interpretation of Bible stories and fans of Smith’s popular series will probably feel that this...
This interpretation of the story of Noah and his Ark combines the familiar Old Testament story with perennially popular LEGO® building blocks used to create the illustrations.
The story is told in contemporary language with no reference to a particular version of the Bible or location of the relevant verses. God is depicted as an old, bearded white (or yellowish plastic) man in a white robe, and the animals and human characters are all familiar LEGO® shapes, humorously arranged in creative scenes. Smith’s series of Bible stories, the Brick Testament, has provoked controversy due to the violence depicted in some illustrations. This latest addition to the series does not shy away from the difficult issues inherent in the story. Blood (translucent red LEGO® blocks), battles and burning denote evil behavior ("God looked at the world and saw that all the people were very bad"); drowning people and the torso of a body can be seen as the waters rise, and (smiling) skeletons litter the ground when Noah and his family exit the Ark. A note for parents by a religious educator is included with guidelines for explaining the Noah’s Ark story to children.
Those who favor a literal interpretation of Bible stories and fans of Smith’s popular series will probably feel that this floats their boat; those looking for a gentler (and less visually ridiculous) introduction to the popular story should look elsewhere. (Picture book/religion. 5-7)Pub Date: May 1, 2012
ISBN: 978-1-61608-737-1
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Sky Pony Press
Review Posted Online: April 24, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 15, 2012
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by Gary Schmidt & illustrated by David Diaz ‧ RELEASE DATE: June 19, 2012
A visual—and, it must be said, spiritual—delight.
With images of surpassing beauty and power and a text both simple and lyrical, Diaz and Schmidt tell the life of the first black saint of the Americas.
Martín’s mother was African, his father a Spanish nobleman. His father took his children from Lima, Peru, where they lived in desperate poverty, to Ecuador, where he gave them his name. Back in Lima, Martín was apprenticed to a healer, and at 15 he asked admittance to the monastery. Because of his mixed blood he could not be a priest, but he offered himself as a servant. His gifts as a healer became known throughout the city, and Spanish nobles waited for his healing touch while he first tended the poorest and most desperate, both human and animal. Schmidt recounts the story using repeated motifs: the dark eyes of the boy; the frowns of the Spaniards; the name-calling. Diaz achieves an extraordinary luminosity in his illustrations. The tenderness with which Martín treats his charges, the vivid expressions of those who scorn him and those who rely on him, and the balance of shape and stunning color make each page shine. A note offers further details, but, alas, there is no bibliography.
A visual—and, it must be said, spiritual—delight. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)Pub Date: June 19, 2012
ISBN: 978-0-547-61218-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: April 17, 2012
Kirkus Reviews Issue: May 1, 2012
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by Lawrence Kushner & Gary Schmidt & illustrated by Matthew J. Baek
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