Lane uses modern language to tell 12 stories from the Old and New Testaments with the common thread being the interaction between people and angels who are “delivering messages, saving lives, or singing songs of praise.” Baboni’s illustrations are acrylics over textured painted papers using heavy brush strokes and very rounded stylized figures that look as though they have no bones. A threaded vine-like pattern appears somewhere on most of the angels. The colors are lovely turquoise, deep purple and rich green and are set out against softer beige or golden backgrounds on double-paged spreads. Each well-known story is two pages long; thus, some stories add material before or after the given chapters and verses, some names are changed or left out and the Adam and Eve story is told conveying the belief of original sin. In case the reader has forgotten, the last lines remind that “angels are among us.” (Bible stories. 5-8)
Pub Date: Sept. 1, 2007
ISBN: 978-0-8028-5321-9
Page Count: 30
Publisher: Eerdmans
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2007
The true meaning of the holiday season shines here.
Kids teach a valuable lesson about community spirit.
A city block is ablaze with red and green lights for Christmas; one house glows blue and white for Hanukkah. This is where Isaac, a Jewish boy, lives, across the street from best friend Teresa, excitedly preparing for Christmas. They love lighting up their homes in holiday colors. After an antisemitic bigot smashes a window in Isaac’s house, Isaac relights the menorah the next night, knowing if his family doesn’t, it means hiding their Jewishness, which doesn’t “feel right.” Artistic Teresa supports Isaac by drawing a menorah, inscribed to her friend, and placing the picture in her window. What occurs subsequently is a remarkable demonstration of community solidarity for Isaac and his family from everyone, including the media. Galvanized into defiant action against hate, thousands of townspeople display menorahs in windows in residences and public buildings. This quiet, uplifting tale is inspired by an incident that occurred in Billings, Montana, in 1993. Readers will feel heartened at children’s power to influence others to stand up for justice and defeat vile prejudice. The colorful illustrations, rendered digitally with brushes of the artist’s devising, resemble scratch art. Isaac and Teresa are White, and there is some racial diversity among the townspeople; one child is depicted in a wheelchair. An author’s note provides information about the actual event.
The true meaning of the holiday season shines here. (Picture book. 5-8)Pub Date: Oct. 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1-64614-087-9
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Levine Querido
Review Posted Online: July 29, 2021
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2021
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PERSPECTIVES
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
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