Prayers from the Ark (Picture Puffins) - Softcover

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: French

Grade 3 Up-- It would be a great pity if this book's title relegated it to religious sections only. These ``prayers'' of a selection of animals are poetic reflections on their natures, their functions, and their fates. Each creature is vividly self-characterized, wittily and concisely; at the same time, each unmistakably mirrors human feelings and foibles. The patient, plodding ox; the self-important cock; the awkwardly bulky elephant; the haughty cat--all pray in a way that reveals their essential weaknesses and strengths. Noah's opening prayer is plangent and universal, but it takes on an extra dimension for careful readers who infer the circumstances of its composition during World War II (only the briefest introduction is provided). Although these poems were first translated in 1962, the selections here will bring them to a new generation. Moser contributes a brilliant portrait of every animal, subtly suggesting the very qualities revealed in each one's words. These splendid illustrations exactly suit the wide range of the text, drawing younger readers in without condescension, but satisfying even the most sophisticated. Few readers will be immune to the power of this book, or fail to hear an interior echo in these pleas for freedom, dignity, understanding, and grace. --Patricia Dooley, Univ . of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.