Marni McGee

A young donkey colt narrates this simple but lovely story about the role he played in Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, a day now celebrated as Palm Sunday, marking the beginning of Easter/Holy Week. Although frightened when his owner takes him from his peaceful hillside meadow, the donkey is reassured by the gentle figure of Jesus, who fills him with a sense of love and contentment. Although they met only the one time, the donkey remembers Jesus for the rest of his life, longing for his presence...

The Colt and the King is the first picture-book I have ever encountered that addresses Palm Sunday, a day that I remember fondly, from my church-going childhood. It is also the first book I have read from author Marni McGee, although illustrator John Winch is known to me, from his work on Eric A. Kimmel's Brother Wolf, Sister Sparrow: Stories about Saints and Animals. The story is engaging but brief, and doesn't delve that much into the significance of Palm Sunday, although the author's brief note does fill in some of the details, like the fact that Jesus' procession was meant to suggest Solomon's entry into Jerusalem, or that palms were waved as a symbolic connection between Jesus and the kings of the past. The accompanying artwork, done in acrylic paint, was just beautiful, utilizing a vivid and appealing color palette and gorgeously stylized figures. Some of the scenes juxtaposing human and donkey faces were a bit off to me, but leaving that aside, I found the visuals here excellent. Recommended to picture-book readers looking for stories about Palm Sunday.… (more)