In 1978, Peter Spier blessed the world with one of the most engaging renditions of Noah’s Ark that I have ever seen. In a nearly wordless book, the reader is invited into one imaginative scene after another delightful scene of the biblical tale.
Two things struck me while I enjoyed this book.
First, Spier is so creative in his storytelling that each wordless vignette is alive and gives the reader pleasure to ponder over.
Second, this story could not be told this way today, nor would it likely even be considered for a Caldecott Medal. In 1978, the story of Noah’s Ark was well-known by the overwhelming majority of Americans. Today? I don’t think so.
The illustration is award-worthy. The elephant standing on the tail of the mouse with another mouse trying to heave the heavy foot away makes me chuckle. Noah trying to keep the creepy crawling things in their jars while the pair of dogs look on is adorable.
And, the scene with the ark resting on the rocks reveals algae and scum on the bottom of the ark. Incredible! Spier kept the illustration full of whimsy and still very suggestive of real things. It was the perfect balancing act.
Even more interestingly, Spier shows the consequences of the flood with the animals lined up who did not get on the Ark. The picture is interesting and yet gently suggests that those animals (and the people) drowned.
And, finally, this scene that shows how much rain fell is staggering and will make it easy for a child to imagine how serious God was about washing the face of the earth.
I showed this book to my three teenagers and each made startling observations, like Noah managing the beehive and pushing the swarm of bees out (because he could only keep 2). Michael began to wonder which he kept – two queens? A queen and drone? The pictures are whimsical but the thoughts that they suggest are profound.
I love this book and am delighted to have found it in hardcover. I want to have all of his books!
