A silly, entertaining spin on an Old Testament tale.
Noah’s wife takes the spotlight in this picture book’s retelling of the famous Bible story.
When Noah tells his wife that he has a surprise for her, she’s not expecting an ark. But she immediately starts thinking about how she can improve the boat. She builds troughs for food and water and a tub for the elephants to splash in, showing that Noah isn’t the only carpenter in the family. When Noah realizes all the work she is doing, he explains that he thought building the boat was enough. Mrs. Noah disagrees: “It’s in the details, Noah dear, / that give a little touch of cheer. / Now when the rain falls from above / we’ll have an ark that’s full of love.” Later, when Noah leads smiling animals two by two into the boat, Mrs. Noah is getting a well-earned nap. Richards’ rhyming text scans well throughout, with plenty of touches of humor to give the tale a fresh perspective. Most of the vocabulary is accessible to newly independent readers, with a few challenging words (hauled, smidgen) and lots of picture clues to help identify animal terms, like pachyderms. Her occasional use of Yiddish (Mrs. Noah’s response to the ark is “Oy-ve!”) may remind Christian readers that Noah’s story originates in the Hebrew Bible. Pieroni’s digitally painted cartoon illustrations of the White couple and the animals deliver additional giggles; the depiction of the shelves for giraffes to rest their heads is clever and funny.
A silly, entertaining spin on an Old Testament tale.Pub Date: Oct. 28, 2021
ISBN: 9781953456038
Page Count: 34
Publisher: Little Lamb Books
Review Posted Online: Dec. 28, 2022
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
With a universal message of love and community, this book offers a beautiful representation of a too-often-overlooked...
From a debut author-and-illustrator team comes a glimpse into a young American Muslim girl’s family and community as she walks around in “Mommy’s khimar,” or headscarf.
The star of this sunny picture book is a young girl who finds joy in wearing her mother’s khimar, imagining it transforms her into a queen, a star, a mama bird, a superhero. At the core of the story is the love between the girl and her mother. The family appears to be African-American, with brown skin and textured hair. The girl’s braids and twists “form a bumpy crown” under the khimar, which smells of coconut oil and cocoa butter. Adults in her life delight in her appearance in the bright yellow khimar, including her Arabic teacher at the mosque, who calls it a “hijab,” and her grandmother, who visits after Sunday service and calls out “Sweet Jesus!” as she scoops her granddaughter into her arms. Her grandmother is, apparently, a Christian, but “We are a family and we love each other just the same.” The illustrations feature soft pastel colors with dynamic lines and gently patterned backgrounds that complement the story’s joyful tone. The words are often lyrical, and the story artfully includes many cultural details that will delight readers who share the cheerful protagonist’s culture and enlighten readers who don’t.
With a universal message of love and community, this book offers a beautiful representation of a too-often-overlooked cultural group . (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: April 3, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5344-0059-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Salaam Reads/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Feb. 2, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2018
Both a celebration of and an introduction to the mosque.
Children welcome readers into different mosques to learn about varying activities and services that take place in them.
Though many different mosques and children are depicted, the voices call readers’ attention to the similarities among Muslim communities around the world. Yuksel highlights the community eating together; women, men, and children sharing the space and praying together; grandfathers thumbing their tasbihs; grandmothers reading the Quran; aunties giving hugs; children playing. The effect is to demonstrate that a mosque is more than just a building but rather a space where children and adults come together to pray, give, learn, and play. Joyful characters describe what happens in simple, poetic language: “In my mosque, the muezzin’s call to prayer echoes in the air. I stand shoulder to shoulder with my friends, linked like one long chain.” Aly’s bright illustrations pair well with Yuksel’s words, ending with a beautiful spread of children staring at readers, waving and extending their hands: “You are welcome in my mosque.” The variety of mosques included suggests that each has its own unique architecture, but repeating geometric patterns and shapes underscore that there are similarities too. The author’s note guides readers to her website for more information on the mosques depicted; they are not labeled, which is frustrating since the backmatter also includes a tantalizing list of famous mosques on every continent except Antarctica.
Both a celebration of and an introduction to the mosque. (glossary, sources) (Picture book. 4-8)Pub Date: March 23, 2021
ISBN: 978-0-06-297870-7
Page Count: 40
Publisher: Harper/HarperCollins
Review Posted Online: Jan. 12, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2021
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