Noah's Ark

Rating:
Summary: The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed
Review: A far peppier illustrated version of the tale of Noah's Ark than I've encountered before. On picking up this book I was greatly afraid that perhaps I'd be reading some dour staid careful accounting of the exact facts surrounding Noah, his ark, and the animals that stayed on it. Instead, I was somewhat relieved to find that this was a rather cheery offering. Here, wry wit and realism pop up in the most unexpected of placed. To my mind, there is no story so great that a little humor can't make it even better. "Noah's Ark" backs up this belief.

We begin with the oddest of two page spreads. On the left page, in the distance, we see an army marching away from a burning city. Along the side of the road, men and cows have been indiscriminately slaughtered, and they lie in small pools of blood in a dead burnt field. On the right page, Noah is tenderly harvesting his grapes. A single shaft of light illuminates him and in the distance we see his house and livestock, awake, alive, and contented. All the text says here is, "...But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord". Thus begins our tale. Slowly (and wordlessly) the ark is built. Opposite a page where Noah's sons are loading up the ark with a host of necessary provisions (things like shoes, hoes, rakes, barrels of food, watering cans, etc.) is "The Flood" by Jacobus Revius (1586-1658). Author Peter Spier has taken the liberty of translating this from the original Dutch, and the poem consists mostly of a listing of the kinds of creatures that boarded the ark. This is the only explanation of plot the book contains. From here on in, "Noah's Ark" is a wordless affair, reminiscent of the books of Anno. We watch as animals are collected and gathered. The floods rise and Noah & Co. deal with the little day-to-day problems of taking care of all the animals in the world. Baby animals are born and, in the end, the ark stops atop a mountain and the world begins anew. The final words in this story are placed against a scene of animals grazing once more under a beautiful rainbow in the sky. As Noah works in the field it reads, "...and he planted a vineyard". So it goes.

The humor is evident right from the start. I knew I was in good hands when I saw an imperial Noah shoo away a flock of bees from a hive. Only two fly inside. There's a donkey that refuses to be coaxed inwards as well. Best of all, the shot of Noah mucking out the animals' stables (a large job in and of itself). Spier chooses to separate his scenes with moments of quiet reflection. A mélange of animal and Noah pics is followed by a two page blue and white spread that contains a tiny silhouetted ark on the distant seas. There are a couple sad moments in this book as well. No child is going to enjoy the shot of the extraneous animals standing morosely outside the now full ark. As the water rises the animals disappear from view, obviously drowned. It's a touch dark.

All in all, this is a fine piece of work. There is a dearth of quality wordless picture books out there. To find something as beautiful to look at and pleasurable to glance through as Spier's, "Noah's Ark", is a rare treat indeed. All at once tender and detailed, colorful and creative, it's a sure fire favorite for any kid with a yen for a good story. This book is certain to retain its status as beloved of adults and children alike.

Rating:
Summary: The weather started getting rough, the tiny ship was tossed
Review: A far peppier illustrated version of the tale of Noah's Ark than I've encountered before. On picking up this book I was greatly afraid that perhaps I'd be reading some dour staid careful accounting of the exact facts surrounding Noah, his ark, and the animals that stayed on it. Instead, I was somewhat relieved to find that this was a rather cheery offering. Here, wry wit and realism pop up in the most unexpected of placed. To my mind, there is no story so great that a little humor can't make it even better. "Noah's Ark" backs up this belief.

We begin with the oddest of two page spreads. On the left page, in the distance, we see an army marching away from a burning city. Along the side of the road, men and cows have been indiscriminately slaughtered, and they lie in small pools of blood in a dead burnt field. On the right page, Noah is tenderly harvesting his grapes. A single shaft of light illuminates him and in the distance we see his house and livestock, awake, alive, and contented. All the text says here is, "...But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord". Thus begins our tale. Slowly (and wordlessly) the ark is built. Opposite a page where Noah's sons are loading up the ark with a host of necessary provisions (things like shoes, hoes, rakes, barrels of food, watering cans, etc.) is "The Flood" by Jacobus Revius (1586-1658). Author Peter Spier has taken the liberty of translating this from the original Dutch, and the poem consists mostly of a listing of the kinds of creatures that boarded the ark. This is the only explanation of plot the book contains. From here on in, "Noah's Ark" is a wordless affair, reminiscent of the books of Anno. We watch as animals are collected and gathered. The floods rise and Noah & Co. deal with the little day-to-day problems of taking care of all the animals in the world. Baby animals are born and, in the end, the ark stops atop a mountain and the world begins anew. The final words in this story are placed against a scene of animals grazing once more under a beautiful rainbow in the sky. As Noah works in the field it reads, "...and he planted a vineyard". So it goes.

The humor is evident right from the start. I knew I was in good hands when I saw an imperial Noah shoo away a flock of bees from a hive. Only two fly inside. There's a donkey that refuses to be coaxed inwards as well. Best of all, the shot of Noah mucking out the animals' stables (a large job in and of itself). Spier chooses to separate his scenes with moments of quiet reflection. A mélange of animal and Noah pics is followed by a two page blue and white spread that contains a tiny silhouetted ark on the distant seas. There are a couple sad moments in this book as well. No child is going to enjoy the shot of the extraneous animals standing morosely outside the now full ark. As the water rises the animals disappear from view, obviously drowned. It's a touch dark.

All in all, this is a fine piece of work. There is a dearth of quality wordless picture books out there. To find something as beautiful to look at and pleasurable to glance through as Spier's, "Noah's Ark", is a rare treat indeed. All at once tender and detailed, colorful and creative, it's a sure fire favorite for any kid with a yen for a good story. This book is certain to retain its status as beloved of adults and children alike.

Rating:
Summary: Fascinating & Accurate
Review: I am particularly struck by three things in Peter Spier's Noah's Ark. First, the panoramic quality and amazing detail of the illustrations. The more time you spend with each picture the more you find. Second, the way a fairly complex story is beautifully told without words. Third, the way Spier is able to convey depth and breadth and nuance of emotion in his drawings. He exquisitely captures the body language and small facial details, in drawings that seem simple but apparently are not. This adds realism, helps you put yourself in the character's place, and is the part of Spier's artwork I like most.

Note that the illustrations at the beginning of the story depict violence and are somewhat gory if you examine the details. You might need to consider how to present this, especially with younger children (say under 4?) With the youngest, pre-verbal, you might want to skip the beginning of the story entirely.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, But...
Review: Peter Spier certainly deserves all the praise he has received for this lovely book. Still, I have to admit to feeling heartbroken -- even at my age -- by the pictures of the doomed animals for whom there is no space on board, watching the Ark forlornly as the waters rise around them.

Yes, that's how the story goes, but perhaps parents might want to decide in advance how to respond if their child asks anxious questions about what will happen to the animals left outside.

Rating:
Summary: Beautiful, But...
Review: This book won Peter Spier the coveted Caldecott Medal for the best illustrated children's book in 1978. Most Caldecott Medal winners enhance the story with illustrations. But a few transcend the written material by becoming the story. Noah's Ark is of the latter category.

The book opens with a scene of brutal war on the left hand page. On the right hand page is the image of Noah tending to his agricultural tasks. The words at the bottom of the page say simply, " . . . But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Next, there is a translation of a Dutch poem written by Jacobus Revins that tells the briefest outline of the Noah saga. The rest of the book until the last page is wordless. The final page shows Noah after the flood tending to his agriculture with the words, " . . . and he planted a vineyard."

The illustrations provide nonverbal stories about Noah. You see the enormous task it was to build an ark, the difficulties of rounding up all the animals, the even greater challenges of taking care of them during the flood on the ark, and the process of returning to the land as the waters receded. By using only illustrations, you and your child have some latitude as to how you wish to interpret the story. You can be very literal, or you can be more poetic. A lot depends on how sensitive your child is. I can remember feeling frightened as a young child to realize that God could choose to destroy virtually all life on Earth.

The illustrations are brilliant for portraying perspective. The ark is made to appear enormous. Yet there are some illustrations during the flood where the ark is clearly tiny in the context of the worldwide ocean.

There are a lot of stories within the story. For example, the sequence where the dove is released and brings back a sprig of leaves from dry land is quite interesting. Many themes are carried out in a number of ways as well, including the notion of being a loyal servant. You can have many wonderful discussions about why God directed Noah to act as he did, and what the lessons are for today.

The colors and use of pen to fill in details are quite rewarding, as are the delicate individual watercolor images within thoughtfully planned out compositions. Noah has a benign and spiritual appeal in these representations that make him seem like someone you would want to spend time with. Rather than seeing him as remote and hard to understand, your child will probably appreciate Noah as a version of a friendly, supportive grandfather. The promise for the future is wonderfully captured by a gorgeous rainbow at the end. The overall feeling of these cartoons is not unlike the work of Walt Disney's studio animators during the 1930s.

One potential way to enjoy this book even more is to write out your own version of the story, as dictated by your youngster. As she or he matures, you can write new versions that your youngster creates. He or she will probably enjoy seeing these in the future, as a wonderful momento of growing up.

Another interesting alternative is to take another well-known story, and to create a totally illustrated version with no words.

Get to the heart of any important story, in order to grasp all of its meaning.

Rating:
Summary: An Almost Wordless Vision of Noah's Story
Review: This book won Peter Spier the coveted Caldecott Medal for the best illustrated children's book in 1978. Most Caldecott Medal winners enhance the story with illustrations. But a few transcend the written material by becoming the story. Noah's Ark is of the latter category.

The book opens with a scene of brutal war on the left hand page. On the right hand page is the image of Noah tending to his agricultural tasks. The words at the bottom of the page say simply, " . . . But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord." Next, there is a translation of a Dutch poem written by Jacobus Revins that tells the briefest outline of the Noah saga. The rest of the book until the last page is wordless. The final page shows Noah after the flood tending to his agriculture with the words, " . . . and he planted a vineyard."

The illustrations provide nonverbal stories about Noah. You see the enormous task it was to build an ark, the difficulties of rounding up all the animals, the even greater challenges of taking care of them during the flood on the ark, and the process of returning to the land as the waters receded. By using only illustrations, you and your child have some latitude as to how you wish to interpret the story. You can be very literal, or you can be more poetic. A lot depends on how sensitive your child is. I can remember feeling frightened as a young child to realize that God could choose to destroy virtually all life on Earth.

The illustrations are brilliant for portraying perspective. The ark is made to appear enormous. Yet there are some illustrations during the flood where the ark is clearly tiny in the context of the worldwide ocean.

There are a lot of stories within the story. For example, the sequence where the dove is released and brings back a sprig of leaves from dry land is quite interesting. Many themes are carried out in a number of ways as well, including the notion of being a loyal servant. You can have many wonderful discussions about why God directed Noah to act as he did, and what the lessons are for today.

The colors and use of pen to fill in details are quite rewarding, as are the delicate individual watercolor images within thoughtfully planned out compositions. Noah has a benign and spiritual appeal in these representations that make him seem like someone you would want to spend time with. Rather than seeing him as remote and hard to understand, your child will probably appreciate Noah as a version of a friendly, supportive grandfather. The promise for the future is wonderfully captured by a gorgeous rainbow at the end. The overall feeling of these cartoons is not unlike the work of Walt Disney's studio animators during the 1930s.

One potential way to enjoy this book even more is to write out your own version of the story, as dictated by your youngster. As she or he matures, you can write new versions that your youngster creates. He or she will probably enjoy seeing these in the future, as a wonderful momento of growing up.

Another interesting alternative is to take another well-known story, and to create a totally illustrated version with no words.

Get to the heart of any important story, in order to grasp all of its meaning.