DAVID'S SONGS
His Psalms and Their Story
edited by Colin Eisler & illustrated by Jerry Pinkney
Though David's connection with many Psalms is tenuous, Eisler, an art historian, links together several dozen extracts that "share the same strong sound" and express the vision, faith, and humanity of a great leader.
The editor gives each passage an explanatory introduction, draws from several versions of the Bible, and simplifies the language considerably: Ps. 73:7-9, "Their eyes stand out with fatness. They have more than heart could wish. They are corrupt and speak wickedly..." (King James) becomes: "Their eyes are set in folds of fat./Whatever they say is mean and nasty./How could they get so rich/when they are so bad?"
Though sometimes only tangentially related to the texts, Pinkney's full-page paintings add their usual measure of dappled dignity to this handsome, earnest introduction.
(Poetry. 8-12)