Noah's Ark

My review

The pictures in this book are exquisite and could tell the story without the words ever being printed. This book is an easy way to begin a lesson over the weather patterns and Noah's rain. Spier, Peter. Noah¿s Ark. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1977.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Two by Two

Noah's Ark is a wonderful picture book that won a Caldecott Medal. It is mainly a picture book with colorful illustrations. It contains only a brief introduction on the first page. However, the illustrations do a wonderful job of telling the biblical story. It is a good story to share with your child if you know the story well enough to go along with the pictures.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Caldecott Winner Noah's Ark

This book is so simplistic that a child could under stand every thing just by studying the pictures. Peter Spier¿s take on the classic story is remarkable. The pictures tell the story with help from Jacobus Revius¿s ¿The Flood¿. With simple stanzas like ¿¿Which brought all [T]o the Fall. Later on [I]t was done¿,¿ it is very easy for the targeted audience which is three to six year olds to understand. I loved this book and so did my nephew. I would recommend it to anyone. The book¿s author, Peter Spier, was born in 1927, and has published more than thirty children¿s books. Spier, Peter. Noah¿s Ark. New York: Doubleday & Company, 1977.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

Cooper's Review

There is only one page with text on it and it has a poem. It is a very good poem that had been translated from German. The theme of the story is sequential and easy to tell what is going on. The illustrations are the story. They follow the poem because the poem talks about the story, which is in the Bible. The pictures are very detailed and seem to be accurate from what the story tells. This picture book starts with a rhyme and then is all pictures that sequence what getting ready for the great flood and life on the ark would have been like. It is a 1978 winner of the Caldecott Medal, and for good reason because of the detailed illustrations. The content is appropriate and would be enjoyable for all ages. It will appeal to kids y Judithybecause of all the animals and adults will appreciate the detailed intricate drawings. The book mostly takes place on the Ark and in the time leading up to the flood.

1 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

DO NOT BUY

I wouldnt reccommend this item all it had was PICTURES.... Waste of $$$$

0 out of 1 people found this review helpful.

College Review for Class

Have you ever heard the saying, ¿A picture is worth a thousand words?¿ That is just what this children¿s picture book, ¿Noah¿s Ark¿ is like. Before the story begins, the only words on the page are, ¿But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord.¿ Then you have a Dutch poem translated by Peter Spier which goes like this, ¿High and long, Thick and strong, Wide and stark, Was the ark.¿ ¿Climb on board, Said the Lord.¿ So, a host of animals, in all shapes and sizes, parades across the colorful pages of the great illustrated picture book. As you turn each colorful page you will see no word, only the Dutch poem at the beginning to guide you though this story. So, let your imagination take you back to that time of the great flood. Both author and illustrator of this 1977 Caldecott winner, Peter Spier has established himself as on the most gifted in this country. He was born June 6, 1927 in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. Deciding to make art his career, Spier attended and art school in Amsterdam, from 1945-1947 Spier also received the Caldecott Honor Award in 1962 for ¿The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night.¿ He lives in Shorham, Long Island with his wife. Spier, Peter. Noah¿s Ark. New York: Random House Children¿s Books, 1977

An Almost Wordless Vision of Noah's Story

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. Donald Mitchell, co-author of The Irresistible Growth Enterprise and The 2,000 Percent Solution

Narrative in Pictures

Any child will be able to follow the story by looking at Peter Spier's beautiful and detailed illustrations. The few words at the opening of the book are well chosen for adults as well as children.

No text was provided for this review.