Illustrated with Brent’s (Celtic Fairytales, not reviewed, etc.) glorious, gold-drenched watercolors, Philip weaves a number of Romanian pourquoi tales into the biblical story of Noah and the ark. Gathering the animals two by two, Noah sees his wife hesitating. Indeed, she won’t come on board until the water is up to her waist and Noah says angrily, “Oh, you devil, come in!” At that, the devil comes on to the ark in the form of a mouse. The mouse chews through a plank and water begins to leak into the ark, but Noah throws a fur glove at it, which turns into a cat that catches the mouse, and Noah throws them both overboard. The devil-as-mouse escapes and the cat comes back on board to dry itself in the warmest, sunniest spot, a habit that continues to this day. The origin of the flea is also neatly explained. Brent’s resplendent ark is in the shape of a red and gold dove. It carries a storied house on its back with arched doors and windows and a patterned tile roof. The pages, bordered in jewel-toned folk-art patterns, hold pictures of voluptuous beauty, from naturalistic animal portraits to a sea resembling silk ribbon shot with luminous fish. Indeed, it is the shimmering art that transforms what is a somewhat less successful text into a worthy addition to the folklore shelves. (author’s source note) (Folktale/picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Aug. 17, 2001
ISBN: 0-618-11754-7
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Clarion Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2001
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
Joslin retells the story of the birth of Jesus in a conversational tone, covering events beginning with the arrival of Mary and Joseph in Bethlehem, with a reprise of the angel Gabriel’s visitation, through the Nativity, the flight into Egypt and on into the childhood of Jesus as the son of a carpenter. The smoothly written narrative includes imagined dialogue for the characters as well as Biblical text reworked as speech, and some background explanations, on King Herod, for example, that put the Nativity story into a more complete context than many Christmas titles for children. Cann’s attractive watercolor illustrations include rich colors and lots of motion: swirling clouds and trails of stars, angels with flowing hair and robes and marbled-paper effects for trees and costume details. This is a visually appealing and well-written presentation that will be a welcome resource for both parents and church-school programs. (Picture book. 5-8)
Pub Date: Nov. 1, 2005
ISBN: 1-56148-494-6
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Good Books
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2005
This earnest photo-essay features Imran, a boy whose father was born a Muslim in an unnamed country and whose mother is American and has converted to Islam. The black-and-white photos (some of which are very appealing) show a boy at play with his friends, at home with his family, observing Ramadan and sharing information about his religion with his best friend. The text tries to portray some of the problems of Muslim families in the contemporary U.S. by mentioning a hate call received by the mother, but the young children reading this may have a difficult time putting this into context. The child’s grandmother is shown in a photo (she may be from India or Pakistan), but the father’s country of origin is not mentioned. Imran does say that Muslims “come in all colors and nationalities.” (glossary, explanation of the Five Pillars of Islam) (Nonfiction. 6-8)
Pub Date: April 1, 2006
ISBN: 0-8050-6538-5
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 2006
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
BOOK REVIEW
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