STORIES FROM THE BIBLE

Seventeen well-known stories from the Christian Bible are retold in contemporary language accompanied by intriguing gouache illustrations.

Bostrom, a Presbyterian minister and the author of the popular Little Blessings series for younger children, retells the Biblical stories in graceful prose full of rich vocabulary, strong dialogue, and humorous touches such as words conveying sound effects. Stories from the Old Testament include retellings about the Garden of Eden, Noah’s Ark, baby Moses in his basket, and David and Goliath. New Testament stories include the birth of Jesus, the Sermon on the Mount, the Last Supper, and the first Easter. The large-size format includes three to seven pages of text for each story, with one or two full-page illustrations and several vignettes per story. Each spread offers an illustration done in Mirtalipova’s striking style, full of swirling lines and motion. The illustrations are particularly accomplished in their variety of composition, such as a parade of sea creatures swimming across the bottom of a spread or Jonah inside the belly of the whale. Throughout, the human characters all have tan or brown skin and dark hair. A final page lists the corresponding Biblical text reference for each story.

This beautifully illustrated collection will be useful in larger library collections and for reading aloud in Christian families and in church settings.