Two by Two

A version of the familiar biblical tale of Noah and the ark is set to the words of the song, "The Animals Went in Two by Two" and features colorful plasticine art and a musical score.

Three-dimensional artwork of extraordinary richness highlights this verse retelling of the Noah story by the illustrator of The New Baby Calf. Reid's vibrantly colored, sculpted Plasticine illustrations give her pictures the illusion of depth seldom achieved with conventional techniques. The intricate spreads teem with activity rendered in real-as-life tactile detail: characters wear robes trimmed with textured embroidery; Noah's long beard descends in whorls like white icing on a cake; every painstakingly molded fin, feather and strand of fur on the arkful of animals begs to be touched. The palette is equally impressive, as the cloud-filled sky darkens and lightens again with the passing of the storm, and the deep blues of the sea offset the pinks and oranges of the sun-drenched landscape. There are cleverly crafted shifts in perspective, too, notably a bird's-eye-view of the animals boarding the ark. Only the text, consisting of original lyrics to a traditional tune, fails to match the art's sparkle: Reid tells the familiar tale in (occasionally limp) iambic tetrameter that sometimes sacrifices scansion for rhyme. Readers will nonetheless enjoy counting along as the animals--from the tiniest mice to the biggest elephants--clamber aboard this beguiling ark. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Adopting the verse scheme of the traditional song, Reid recounts the building of Noah's Ark and writes a new couplet for each number up to ten (``And in came the animals six by six,/Pandas and penguins, all in a mix''). The animals aren't all named, but they're all countable in Reid's illustrations, formed in Plasticene on board for a vibrant, three-dimensional effect remarkable for its textures, lively expressions (Noah is saintly and benevolent, his wife a smiling babushka), and the subtlety, imagination, and wit of the art--the six pairs of animals are a study in black and white (Holsteins, skunks, zebras); tiny creatures (mice, spiders) challenge sharp eyes; the Ark a- building is an airy frame against the sky. The neatly scanning verse has nice touches of humor (``Even the boas felt constricted'') and takes the story on to the rainbow. A delightful presentation of this old favorite. Music included. (Picture book. 3-8) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.