NOAH’S BED

Among the raft of Noah’s Ark retellings flooding the Bible story shelves, this interpretation stands out by focusing on a smaller part of the tale. The cumulative story looks at just a few of the animal pairs and three of the humans that might have been aboard the Ark: Noah, his wife, and his young grandson, called Eber. The noises of the great storm in turn frighten four pairs of animals and then the little boy, who takes refuge in his grandparents’ big bed (which is actually a rowboat). In humorous fashion the grandparents discover that the crowded and noisy conditions in their bed aren’t really due to their grandson, but to the animals that are hiding in fear under the quilt. The author skillfully uses elements of suspense and humor along with rich, evocative language in her simple but satisfying story, complemented by the amusing watercolor illustrations. Grandpa Noah might not know who is in his bed, but there are plenty of clues for children to discover (starting with the animals’ silhouettes on the cover), so that youngsters will be able to predict the humorous conclusion. As a riff on the Noah’s Ark story, this succeeds swimmingly. (Picture book. 3-6)