The Marvelous Mustard Seed

by Amy-Jill Levine, Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, Margaux Meganck (Illustrator)

Overview

A child plants a mustard seed in an empty garden. It is an itty-bitty seed. It isnt anything very specialyet.

Discover the surprising potential of one small seed in The Marvelous Mustard Seed. Based on Jesus parable of the Mustard Seed, this inspiring childrens book shows young readers that one tiny seedjust like one small childcarries a world of potential. The Marvelous Mustard Seed features ethnically diverse characters, and it is ideal for children ages 4-8. A special note for parents and teachers is included.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780664262754
Publisher:	Westminster John Knox Press
Publication date:	04/26/2018
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	841,034
Product dimensions:	9.10(w) x 11.00(h) x 0.40(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Amy-Jill Levine, the author of numerous acclaimed books, is Rabbi Stanley M. Kessler Distinguished Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies at Hartford Seminary and University Professor of New Testament and Jewish Studies Emerita as well as Mary Jane Werthan Professor of Jewish Studies Emerita at Vanderbilt. She has cowritten many children's books with Sandy Eisenberg Sasso, including A Very Big Problem, Who Is My Neighbor?, The Marvelous Mustard Seed, and Who Counts?

Sandy Eisenberg Sasso is the author of many popular books for children and adults, the Director of Religion, Spirituality and the Arts Initiative at Indiana University–Purdue University at Indianapolis (IUPUI) Arts and Humanities Institute, and Rabbi Emerita of Congregation Beth-El Zedeck. Her children's books include The Story of AND, When God Gave Us Words, and, co-written with Amy-Jill Levine, A Very Big Problem, Who Is My Neighbor?, The Marvelous Mustard Seed, and Who Counts? For more information, visit www.allaboutand.com.

Margaux Meganck, a freelance artist and children's book illustrator in Portland, Oregon, has received portfolio awards from the Society of Children's Book Writers and Illustrators. Who Counts? and The Marvelous Mustard Seed, both of which she illustrated, were named Junior Library Guild Selections. For more information, visit www.margauxmeganck.com.

Editorial Reviews

An allegorical tale about a mustard seed that grows into a spreading tree rather than a mere bush.” —Spirituality & Practice

“The authors retell and greatly expand Jesus’ short parable of the mustard seed, with engaging full-page color illustrations of a diverse community set in a modern city. There’s not too much text on each page, and the story builds up to its theological conclusion both beautifully and simply.” —Christian Century

“The bright, textured, and expressive illustrations depict a diverse and multigenerational neighborhood community and beautifully complement the story.” —School Library Journal

"The bright, textured, and expressive illustrations depict a diverse and multigenerational neighborhood community and beautifully complement the story." —School Library Journal

From the Publisher

2018-03-05
Co-authors Levine (New Testament and Jewish Studies/ Vanderbilt Univ.) and Sasso, a rabbi, turn their accumulated theological training to adapting a biblical parable of Jesus into a picture book. Based on the short parable that appears in the three Synoptic Gospels, the picture book presents the story of a small seed growing into a large tree. Opening with two children preparing to plant a mustard seed in winter-brown ground, soft colored-pencil illustrations show just how small and seemingly useless a mustard seed is until it is planted. Then, away from prying eyes, the seed sends out roots, sprouts, and grows beyond the usual botanical limits of a mustard plant, into "a humongous tree." Through most of the book, this literal depiction of a uniquely large mustard plant and how the community interacts with it and uses it is the focus, making a turn toward the familiar comparison of the mustard seed to the kingdom of God near the end feel as though it comes out of left field. Even the crowds who heard the original telling of the parable in ancient Palestine, who had more context, may well have found this teaching bemusing. Contemporary children, lacking that context, will find it even more so. While Meganck's illustrations of a diverse community surrounding the tree are endearing, the book fails to engage as either a celebration of botany or a picture of a heavenly kingdom come to Earth.An enigmatic parable that fails to bloom. (Picture book/religion. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews