The reluctant prophet comes full circle with the aid of various percipient animals in Mrs. L'Engle's verse-drama, offering an unusual entree into biblical themes. Jonah is obdurate, even truculent, as he refuses to warn the people of Nineveh of God's intentions: "It's too far away in the first place./ In the second place I hate cities./ And in the third place...Nineveh is the enemy." But the birds will not let him be: Jay is impudent, Owl pontificates, Catbird explains: "It's not so much that he isn't willing to be his brother's keeper, as that he quite naturally feels he has a right to choose Just who his brother is." Stoned in Gath-hepher (Catbird: "A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country"), Jonah departs "from your presence. And His." In his travels, more troubles: a turbulent sea ("cast me forth"); an admonition in the belly of the whale ("You shall listen to me until you see the light of day/ And that will be when you decide to have not your way/ But God's way"): at Nineveh, the warning from Jonah and repentance by the populace but no wrath from God—Judah is incensed; And then "the voice of the turtle is heard in the land:" "It is easy to destroy one's enemy without suffering/ but to love him is the most terrible of pain." The philosophical interplay between Jonah and the animals advances with an easy, ironical wit that only occasionaly turns into farce, and the characterization of each is distinctive and vivid. This can be staged (and has been) but it makes intriguing reading also for the receptive young person.
Pub Date: Sept. 15, 1967
ISBN: 0374438587
Page Count: 72
Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux
Review Posted Online: Oct. 17, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1967
A wondrous occurrence, an ancient tradition, and an elderly nun’s abiding faith are the basis of this moving Chirstmas tale from dePaola (26 Fairmount Avenue, p. 629, etc.). Sister Angie is overjoyed when her niece Lupe and her husband are selected to play Mary and Joseph—here, Maria and José—for Las Posadas, the reenactment of the journey into Bethlehem. When Sister Angie becomes ill and Lupe and Roberto become stranded in a heavy snowstorm, it seems as if the celebration will be delayed. However, a couple arrives just in time to take the place of the missing players. The whole village participates in the procession, from the singers who follow Mary and Joseph, to the “devils” who attempt to prevent the weary travelers from finding lodging. After several rebuffs, the couple arrives at the gates of the courtyard; these open and the entire assembly enters to celebrate. When Lupe and Roberto finally show up, the other couple is nowhere to be found. The story takes a supernatural twist when Sister Angie discovers that the figures in the church’s manger scene have come to life, temporarily, for the procession. The mysteries and miracles of the season are kept at bay; this simple narrative spells everything out, resulting in a primer on the tradition. Richly hued, luminescent illustrations radiate from the pages; an introduction and author’s note provide additional information. (Picture book. 4-8)
Pub Date: Oct. 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-399-23400-4
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Putnam
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1999
Johnson (All Around Town, 1998) sketches out the activities for the six days leading up to Sunday. Monday is reserved for the blues, Tuesday for double Dutch workouts, Wednesday for choir practice, Thursday for reading with Miss Augusta (“books filled with magic words. We can taste them and hear them and fashion them—speak words written and said long ago to make today and tomorrow our own”), Friday—“Finally Friday,”—with its fish and hush puppies, and workday Saturday. Then comes Sunday at the Lovely Hill Baptist Church, and displays of fashion, toe-tapping music, gathering, and feasting. The spirituality in these pages is caring and inclusive, so no one is a stranger here; Geter’s pastels are studied and a little self-conscious, but as warm as the biscuits served at Sunday dinner. (Picture book. 6-9)
Pub Date: March 1, 1999
ISBN: 0-8050-4911-8
Page Count: 32
Publisher: Henry Holt
Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 1999
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