God's People: Stories from the Old Testament

McCaughrean, Geraldine

ISBN 10: 068981366X ISBN 13: 9780689813665

Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry, 1997

Synopsis

Reflecting the poetry and character of the King James Version of the Bible, and complemented by quotations from it, a retelling of thirty-two stories from the Old Testament is illustrated with full-color illustrations.

About this title

About the Author:

Anna Leplar lives in Iceland with her husband and son. She originally trained as a fine artist and has worked for a number of publishers illustrating in black and white and colour. Her most recent commission has been the major DK Bible. Geraldine McCaughrean's novels and retellings for children have won her the Carnegie Medal, the Guardian Children's Fiction Award, the Whitbread Award and the Beefeater Award. A prolific author who writes for all ages, she lives in Berkshire with her husband and young daughter Ailsa.

From Booklist:

Gr. 4^-7, younger for reading aloud. McCaughrean uses the voice of a storyteller to recount the Old Testament's history of God and His people. In conversational though not informal style, she tells of Adam and Eve, following with most of the important biblical tales--from Noah's Ark through Isaiah's prophecies of a messiah. She remains true to the King James text but develops and fleshes it out, offering explanations and tying together themes. She also brings out feelings and emotions as she imagines them, as in the story of God's demanding Abraham to sacrifice Isaac: "He laid his Isaac, his only son, the miracle of his old age, on the stony altar." A few references to events in the New Testament will make this a less than ecumenical purchase for libraries serving Jewish and Islamic populations--among them, a reference as Daniel emerges from the lion's den: "There was to be another cave, sealed with a stone and full of Death, from which God released a man alive." But the book will still have wide appeal, with the lively text made even more enticing by numerous watercolor illustrations depicting the people and events with historical accuracy, creativity, and tenderness. A great choice for reading aloud and one that ensures that children understand references to Jacob's ladder, Samson's hair, David and Goliath, and many of the other stories from the Old Testament that permeate our culture. Susan Dove Lempke

About this edition

• Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry
• Publication date: 1997
• ISBN 10: 068981366X
• ISBN 13: 9780689813665
• Binding: Library Binding
• Number of pages: 128
• Illustrator: Leplar Anna C.