A Stormy Ride on Noah's Ark

As the winds howl and the ark rocks heavily on the waves, the fearful animals aboard fight and moan and complain and groan, leaving it up to the sparrow, mouse, and spider to put the fears of the mightiest creatures to rest so that all can get some sleep.

reS-Gr 3-Although many Noah's Ark books include a picture or two of shipboard life, Hooper concentrates on that aspect of the tale. As night approaches, the small animals worry that they will become meals for the carnivores. But the intensity of the storm quickly subdues even lions and leopards, who long for dry land. Then the smallest creatures of all-sparrow, mouse, and spider-share their gifts of music, stories, and dreams to calm the frightened passengers. Night passes harmoniously. The rhyming text flows smoothly, producing a soothing cadence that reinforces the main ideas. Munsinger's wolves and bears look fierce without being too menacing. In fact, the book could be used to set a bedtime mood. Warren Ludwig's Old Noah's Elephants (Putnam, 1991; o.p.), recounting how Noah solves a crisis onboard, has a humorous tone. Neil Philip's Noah and the Devil (Clarion, 2001) and Arielle Olson's Noah's Cats and the Devil's Fire (Orchard, 1992; o.p.) offer variants of a story about more serious threats at sea. Hooper provides another perspective, a difficult task when a story is as familiar as this one.

Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Told in rhyming verse, the fantasy-tinged A Stormy Ride on Noah's Ark by Patricia Hooper, illus. by Lynn Munsinger, introduces the animal passengers as a cramped, cranky bunch ready to let their instincts kick in even if it means making a meal of a fellow traveler or two. Munsinger (the Tacky the Penguin books), a master at creating memorable anthropomorphic animal characters, seems less at home rendering the slightly more realistic and mean-looking figures here. That said, her watercolor compositions add flashes of humor and drama not conveyed in the text.

Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

Ages 4-8. Not every animal aboard Noah's ark is pleased with the sleeping arrangements: "No rabbit dares to share a bed / With flashing teeth and glowing eyes / Of creatures more than twice her size." The goat can't sleep "if he must share / A ship with panther, tiger, bear!" Animal adversaries face off--until the worsening storm spooks both great and small, leading all to realize that everyone must do their part to help ease fears--and get some sleep. Hooper's rhyming text is lively, and Munsinger's charming watercolor and pen-and-ink art, in muted tones, expressively details the animals' actions and feelings. There's no accompanying religious context, which may lead to some questions (Why is it raining? Is Noah the only human?), but that may help kids better perceive the universality of the story--about the importance of developing trust, overcoming differences, and cooperating for the common good through creative means. Shelle Rosenfeld
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