Noah's Ark

by Jerry Pinkney, Jerry Pinkney (Illustrator)

Overview

For 40 days and 40 nights rain poured from the heavens, enveloping the world. Only Noah had been warned by God of the great floodand only Noah could save life on earth. This powerful story of salvation has fascinated people of all ages for centuries. Now, four-time Caldecott Honor-recipient Jerry Pinkney captures all the courage, drama, and beauty of this ancient parable in rich, glorious paintings. Full of sensitive detail and emotion, his art brings new life and meaning to an important message of peace. This elegant edition of Noah's Ark promises to give readers strength and hope for many years to come.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781587172014
Publisher:	Chronicle Books LLC
Publication date:	09/01/2002
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	606,062
Product dimensions:	9.85(w) x 10.80(h) x 0.45(d)
Lexile:	550L (what's this?)
Age Range:	3 Months to 12 Years

About the Author

Jerry Pinkney is the illustrator of Aesop's Fables and four Caldecott Honor-winners: The Ugly Duckling , John Henry , Mirandy and Brother Wind , and The Talking Eggs . He has received the Coretta Scott King Award five times, was the U.S. nominee for the Hans Christian Andersen Illustration Award, and has received four gold medals and two silver medals from the Society of Illustrators. Mr. Pinkney lives in Croton-on-Hudson, New York.

Editorial Reviews

Pinkney (The Ugly Duckling) unfurls some of the finest illustrations of his career in this lush, not-to-be-missed version of the perennially popular Bible story. In unfettered, graceful prose, Pinkney relates Noah's faithful work in building the ship and gathering the animals. He enhances the smoothly rendered plot with simple, evocative detail ("The strong wooden beams embraced the clouds"; "[The animals] followed him into the ark, and God closed the door behind them"). The watercolor-and-pencil animal tableaux delicately hued, vigorously executed are stunning in their artistry. Realistically drawn creatures flap, leap, lumber and slither about under the watchful, hopeful eyes of a kind-faced, gray-bearded Noah and his family. These crowded but never chaotic scenes, as well as those depicting whales in implicit comparison with the ark, will help children grasp the magnitude of the story's message of faith, stewardship and obedience. Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.

Publishers Weekly

K-Gr 3-Jerry Pinkney's Caldecott Honor book (SeaStar, 2002) of the Old Testament story features detailed watercolor and colored-pencil illustrations. Audio elements offer a perfect blend of narration, background music, and animal sounds. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Pinkney, at his grandest, matches a poetically phrased text-the Ark "rose over their heads. It rose over the treetops. The strong wooden beams embraced the clouds"-with sweeping spreads of dappled paintings that capture brilliantly the hugeness of the Ark a-building, the wonder of so many creatures gathering peaceably to crowd aboard, and the closing glory of a planet festooned with rainbows as signs of God's promise to the Charlton Heston-like Noah. Of the making of Noahs there seems to be no end, but while other recent versions of the tale put Noah's family on center stage, or feature realistically depicted animals or humorous touches, this brings out the vast scale of the flood: "The water rose over cities and towns. Whales swam down ruined streets. Schools of fish darted through empty windows." But turn the page and there inside "everyone was safe." Filling his pages with lovely earth tones, Pinkney's occasional use of color stands out all the more: a baboon's multicolored nose, a bright blue robe, a bright red apple, or a bird's brilliant plumage. And then there's all that water. A glorious choice for reading aloud.

Kirkus Reviews