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Noah's Ark

I borrowed Jerry Pinkney's "Noah's Ark" from the library and really loved it. (Full disclosure: Joshua has the Hebrew name "Noah," because his dads are obsessed with animals and various zoos.)

Noah's Ark is a terrifying and somewhat ghastly tale, and when it's used as a heartwarming interlude (say, in Christian Bible Camp, or in a session of Tot Shabbat), I'm a bit stunned. This is a tale of a homicidal father. God is so irritated with his bratty humans, he decides to abdicate his parenting duties. He'll just destroy most of terrestrial life, except for one favored son, Noah, and except for the animals Noah's family can herd onto an ark.

I do like how sudden and horrifying and irrational all of this is; it does seem to "gel" with actual experience. But Joshua and I skip over the implications.

There is the iconic moment when the animals march onto the ark, and the genius Jerry Pinkney milks this for all it is worth. Lizards, grasshoppers, elephants, panthers, eagles. The text tells us that the ark is taller than the tops of various trees, and indeed Pinkney gives us images of those trees, so we can make the comparison.

I especially like the famous dove sequence. After suffering and suffering, Noah sends out a bird to search for dry land. No dice. Second effort, no dice. On the third try (the rule of threes!) .... a dove finds an olive branch. And so--somewhere--there is land. God shrugs and makes a half-apology: he sends down a rainbow, and he says, "Well....I'll never do THAT again...."

I'm not sure if there are deeper meanings here, but I suspect that Pinkney took on the assignment because he was excited to draw the animals. I enjoy the whales who swim around the ark as the flood really begins to do its damage. This is a book of wonder. Who could ask for anything more?

P.S. Pinkney has a version of "The Little Mermaid" (the fairy tale) slated for Oct. Can't wait! And, Kevin Henkes fans: Note Henkes will collect all his mouse tales into one volume (never done before) this Sept.
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