PATRICK WIGGLESWORTH’S BIZARRE BIBLE ADVENTURE

A 10-year-old boy journals about his time-travel adventures, all while navigating fourth grade.

Patrick Wigglesworth is an average kid who often finds himself in weird situations—including being sucked into the pages of his Bible. Moses takes Patrick on a tour of what happens in the first five books of the Old Testament, during which he witnesses Creation and gets to help Adam label all the animals with tags written in Sharpie. He sees chaos at the Tower of Babel and changes baby Isaac’s diapers for Sarah and Abraham. He joins the enslaved Israelites, watches baby Moses get adopted by Pharaoh’s daughter, and wanders the desert in the exodus from Egypt. Patrick even tries to reverse-engineer the recipe for manna so he can sell it at home and make millions. Meantime, he still returns home to play with his best friend, go to school, get annoyed by his little sister, and deal with his bully. The snapshots of popular Bible stories seen from a modern kid’s perspective are humorous and offer material for discussion. However, Patrick’s flippant remarks, for example, around the Israelites’ suffering, can feel insensitive. His present-day commentary frequently expresses misogyny and toxic masculinity presented as humor. Patrick and most contemporary characters read White; Biblical figures are portrayed in the monochromatic, cartoon-style illustrations with lightly shaded skin and garb that evokes the Middle East such as long robes and keffiyeh.

A mixed bag: engaging Bible tales muddied by some crass delivery.