Noah's Ark (Pinkney)

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.

Kindergarten-Grade 4-Pinkney provides a fresh perspective on an often-interpreted story without introducing unusual characters. He employs watercolor and colored pencil to create a world so filled with life that not even a flood can erase its energy. His straightforward account of Noah's story includes only minor variations from the Genesis narratives. The illustrations tell much more. Noah and his family are sturdy farmers, but they are dwarfed by the ark they build. Gathering provisions, they endure the taunts of neighbors. Waiting to board, the animals spill across the pages, not in tidy lines but in messy abundance. Yet, during the voyage, humans and animals share space peacefully. Before Noah's story starts, Pinkney offers a seascape celebrating the goodness of creation. Many of the ocean dwellers reappear in a panorama in which they swim over drowned cities while the ark floats above. Such details add to the book's visual discoveries. The final view of Earth adorned with clouds and rainbows as it floats through space reinforces the unspoken message of the wonder and fragility of the natural world. Yes, another "Noah's Ark" book needs to be squeezed onto shelves, but this one won't sit there long.
Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
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