On Noah's Ark

Brett applies her artistic talents to Biblical subjects in this book - which as you can imagine is not my favourite topic - but at least the story of Noah’s arc allows her much room to exercise her love of intricate drawings, multiple storylines, and animal forms. Basically the whole book is comprised of animals, since humans (and Noah himself) play very little role except for building and driving the boat, so I didn’t have to be disgusted with the typical preachy tone.

Jan Brett's illustrations are utterly charming, I think all of her books are exquisite and this one is no exception. Do not look for strict biblical accuracy here, the story is told through the eyes of Noah's grandchild in a gentle sing-song manner, comforting and tender. The animals steal the show however, they are gorgeous. From colorful puffins, to iridescent beetles, to extinct dodos and her signature hedgehogs, the animals are a delight to behold, and when you see them sleeping in a huge jumble, you'll just want to crawl in and join them.

Animals come, two by two, before the rain falls. Then the ark is full and the animals are all crowded together; they push and shove. The ark rocks in the water and the animals fall asleep, all tangled together. Noah’s grandchild untangles them.

Then one day the rain stops and the sun is shining in the sky . . . .

This simply-told story speaks to the animals and their survival, and, while it takes some small liberties with the Biblical account of the flood, it shows the young reader that all the creatures of the earth have importance and that there was a plan in place for taking care of the animals when the rain came. It focuses on this one aspect of the Noah story and its retelling is simple and perfect for very young children.

With its show more exquisite pictures [done in watercolor and gouache], this gentle, heart-warming story is sure to become one of the young reader’s favorites.

Highly recommended. show less

On Noah’s Ark by Jan Brett. Age: Pre-K. If you are a parent you are probably familiar with Jan Brett, author and illustrator of The Mitten, Comet’s Nine Lives, Sleeping Beauty, and other gorgeous picture books. As an artist and art educator I particularly admire her finely detailed, lifelike illustrations that drive her stories forward. For this book Brett actually went to Africa to draw wild animals from life, and that’s why her paintings are top notch.
The familiar story of Noah and the flood is told from the viewpoint of a grandchild of Noah who tells of the gathering dark clouds and the collection of animals who crowd into the ark in pairs. We see the family gathering foodstuffs for themselves and the animals as the rains show more begin. The child does his part to keep the animals calm. When they fall asleep all entwined, he goes about kindly unscrambling their legs and necks. The story ends, of course, with a rainbow. Brett’s design layout is always the best. In this book as in a few of her others, on each double-page spread, there is a large central painting. To either side of the central painting is a smaller painting; the one to the left a scene previous to the central painting, and the one to the right, a scene after the central painting. This moves the story forward and allows the adult reading aloud to the child to discuss with the child the concepts of “before” and “after” as they relate to the story. For example, first Noah sends out the dove; second, the dove finds a bit of green branch; third, the dove returns to the ark. This intrigues children like a puzzle they can figure out. How clever of her. Of further interest, the small scene’s irregularly shaped borders take the shape of animals which kids will enjoy identifying: a squirrel, duck, wolf, etc.
Brett painted all the backgrounds to look like papyrus, a type of paper (from which the word, “paper” is derived), made from papyrus plants, a stringy reed common to African lakes and the Nile. Its lengths are placed both horizontally and vertically to form the strong, flexible paper. Egyptian scrolls were made of papyrus. It is still manufactured and it is fun to write and paint on, especially for a child interested in mummies and Egyptology.
Read this book aloud with your favorite little one. It will become one of your favorites. show less

I enjoyed reading this book. The main idea is to inform children about the story of Noah's Arc, but tell it from a child's perspective, as if they were on the arc as well. One reason I really liked this book is because the words are sparse and the sentences are very short. For example, on one page it says "One morning I wake up. I don't hear the rain". I think these sentences are straight to the point but still let the reader know what is going on without boring them. I also like the pictures, not only because they are very vivid and make the reader actually feel like we are crammed in the arc with them, but on the sides of each page there is a different picture that is inside the outline of a certain animal. There are outlines of show more wolves, camels and seals, all with their own little picture of the arc inside them. That is a neat way to stray from the norm of just the picture in a rectangular box, and children will have a fun time trying to guess what the outline of the animal is. show less

This visual masterpiece depicts the floating zoo as a delightful place for a young girl (Noah’s granddaughter) to explore and mingle with the crew. Although Jan takes liberties with the Biblical account, her story is a fantastic way to display her amazing talent of bringing creatures to life. My favorite scene is when “The Ark rocks back and forth like a giant cradle.”

Retelling: Author Jan Brett explores what it might have been like to be on the Ark built by Noah referenced in the bible. Told from the perspective of Noah's grandson, she explores how it might have sounded, felt, and what one might have seen.

Thoughts and Feelings: This book makes forty days and forty nights in cramped quarters with animals that (let's face it) would have eaten each other if given, seem quite cozy. It reminds me of the peaceable kingdom.