Noah and the Devil: A Legend of Noah's Ark from Romania - Hardcover

Philip, Neil

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0618117547 ISBN 13: 9780618117543

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2001

Synopsis

Noah's words to his stubborn wife lead to an unexpected invitation and unwanted guest aboard their ship, in a Romanian folk version of this Biblical tale.

About this title

About the Author:

Neil Philip is the editor of numerous books on folklore. He lives in England.

From School Library Journal:

K-Gr 4-In this version of the familiar story, the Devil seizes the chance to board the ark when Noah impatiently exhorts his wife to hurry by calling, "Oh, you devil, come in!" Determined to sink the ship, the Devil, now in the form of a mouse, gnaws a hole in a plank. A cat catches the mouse, but the two land in the sea and the Devil escapes. As water rushes in, Noah makes a deal with a snake, which cuts off its tail to plug the hole in return for "a human being every day, for me and my children to eat." After the animals disembark, Noah realizes that if he fulfills his part of the bargain, humans will be extinct. So he throws the snake into the fire, and its scattered ashes turn to fleas. Those tiny creatures continue to get their daily quota of blood. Philip provides extensive source notes for various aspects of his tale. Done in watercolor and gold leaf, the art is similar in motif and design to Brent's illuminated Noah's Ark (Little, Brown, 1992; o.p.). Here, she has widened the borders and enlarged the inset paintings on the pages with text. This book will interest those searching for variants of the familiar Noah story, but even readers unfamiliar with Genesis can enjoy the twists and turns of this account.

Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2001
• ISBN 10: 0618117547
• ISBN 13: 9780618117543
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Brent Isabelle