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33rd out of 82 books
—
165 voters
Naamah and the Ark at Night
As Noah’s wife sings the animals to sleep, an age-old tale is told afresh in a soothing poetic form brought to life with beautiful collage illustrations.
Naamah is the wife of Noah, and her name means "great singer." For forty days and forty nights, as the ark tosses on storm-wracked seas, Naamah sings. She sings to the animals, two by two. She sings to her husband, her son...more
Naamah is the wife of Noah, and her name means "great singer." For forty days and forty nights, as the ark tosses on storm-wracked seas, Naamah sings. She sings to the animals, two by two. She sings to her husband, her son...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
August 9th 2011
by Candlewick
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A Newbery Honoree and her Caldecott counterpart come together in the creation of this atypical yet appealing picture book, well-conceived and skillfully executed with a nice blend of dark, noble colors and quiet, lyrical writing. In addition to showing us the beauty of the form of poetry known as the ghazal, author Susan Campbell Bartoletti also teaches us something about Jewish cultural tradition as it relates to the story of Noah's family and the Great Flood. Noah's wife, Naamah (pronounced "...more
Naamah And The Ark At Night by Susan Campbell Bartoletti, illustrated by Holly Meade tells of how Noah's wife, Naamah, sings the animals and people on the ark to sleep each night.
A large font is used for the text, making it easier to read aloud. The use of an adapted form of the ghazal makes the text both soothing and different, with the last word of poem repeating, and the third to last containing the rhyme. An author's note explains her fascination with the ark story and the history and adapti...more
A large font is used for the text, making it easier to read aloud. The use of an adapted form of the ghazal makes the text both soothing and different, with the last word of poem repeating, and the third to last containing the rhyme. An author's note explains her fascination with the ark story and the history and adapti...more
Review originally found at www.apatchworkofbooks.com
Such a lovely, lovely lullaby! Naamah is Noah's wife and her name means "great singer" as shown on these beautifully illustrated pages. All through the night she sings to the animals, to her sons and their wives, songs of prayer and songs of love.
An incredibly simple, yet powerful book, this make such a nice bedtime reading. The illustrations are amazing, showing off the strong implications of the text and the magnificence of the night. It's a...more
Such a lovely, lovely lullaby! Naamah is Noah's wife and her name means "great singer" as shown on these beautifully illustrated pages. All through the night she sings to the animals, to her sons and their wives, songs of prayer and songs of love.
An incredibly simple, yet powerful book, this make such a nice bedtime reading. The illustrations are amazing, showing off the strong implications of the text and the magnificence of the night. It's a...more
I picked this book up after finding it on my local library's booklist for children. I had never seen it before and since I've started a list of Biblical picture books, this one was a great (though different from your regular Bible story). Naamah (pronounced Na-ah-mah or Nay-ah-mah) is Noah's wife and in the book she sings the entire ark to sleep, using a ghazal, which is a form of Arabic poetry dating back to the seventh century. In the author's note, Bartoletti says "I hope that this lullaby in...more
The wife of Noah, Naamah, had quite a responsibility during the days and nights that the ark floated on the waters, and its inhabitants waited for the storm to cease. Naamah, whose name means "great singer," used her singing voice to soothe the restless animals and the humans who were in that huge boat. The poetic language sounds like a lullaby and utilizes great phrases such as "crashes the seams of night" (unpaginated), "wings furl at night" (unpaginated), and "tails curl at night" (unpaginate...more
What was like like on the Ark? Before and when children ask that question, this is one of the books to reach for, an accomplished poem (a ghazzal) and lullaby, with warm and delightful illustrations._ Naamah and the Ark At Night_ also opens to a discussion of faithful risk, of being afraid as we live faithfully, and one way we may answer those fears and stay steadfast in love. So simple and so beautiful, I'd also see bringing this poem into worship and workshop alike. As with Linda Sue Park &...more
Many stories and songs are dedicated to Noah, that great craftsman and global sea navigator. Bartoletti avoids the adventure and the man, instead devoting her book to the less celebrated wife of Noah. Naamah, walking through each of the ark's rooms in the star-lit evening, offers a gentle lyllaby to all of the occupants, human or otherwise. Holly Meade's watercolors, with saturated earth tones and deep dark blues, express both the serenity and mystery that readers may imagine filled the quiet mo...more
Aug 27, 2011
Melissa
rated it
4 of 5 stars
Shelves:
watercolor,
collage,
caldecott-12,
cut-paper,
bedtime,
poetry,
rhyme,
folklore,
fave-2011,
music
Thanks Susan for the heads-up on this lovely book! Beautiful, disciplined text, interesting historical thread, awesome artwork. Simple enough in structure for the youngest listeners, but the unusual rhyme scheme (a ghuzul, an Arabic form of poetry) and the rich details in the illustrations (Naamah checks on her grown sons along with all the other animals, the monkeys smile as they nestle together, the hippo's enormous yawn, the incessant rain out the windows) provide plenty to absorb an older au...more
Did you ever wonder how Noah and his family survived living in the cramped, smelly ark with all those noisy animals? Bartoletti suggests that Naamah, whose name means "sweet" or "pleasant," kept them calm at night by singing to them.
Dramatic watercolor collage illustrations by Caldecott Honor winner Holly Meade illuminate this gentle story, told in the traditional form of a "ghazal," which concludes every line with the same word ("night" in this case). The repetition makes it a predictable text...more
Dramatic watercolor collage illustrations by Caldecott Honor winner Holly Meade illuminate this gentle story, told in the traditional form of a "ghazal," which concludes every line with the same word ("night" in this case). The repetition makes it a predictable text...more
This lovely picturebook takes a slice of life on Noah's Ark to tell a lyrical bedtime story. As night falls, the ark pitches in the waves, and the animals are restless. But at night, Naamah, Noah's wife, sings everyone to sleep, animals and people too. The pattern and rhyme of the language are beautiful and soothing. The cut-paper illustrations are both childlike and stunning. The night sky pages are my favorites. A welcome book for families of any religious (or not) background, there isn't any...more
Written as a lullaby following the poetic form of the ghazal, this picture book, grounded in the Biblical tale of Noah and the ark, tells a fictional story of Noah's wife singing her family and all the animals on the ark to sleep at night, despite the stormy weather and turbulent seas. Naamah fulfills a traditional role of helpful wife and loving mother, typical of her time period, which enhances the intentional comfort factor of the book.
The modern illustrations add a lot to the story and provi...more
The modern illustrations add a lot to the story and provi...more
The author's not at the end of this book explains the style of writing used to write this lullaby. The style is inspired by an Arabic form of poetry dating back to at least the seventh century, called ghazal (pronounced like guzzle) It makes for a lovely, rhythmic feel as we read about Noah's wife singing the ark to sleep at night. The illustrations feel like cutouts pasted together to make pictures and are soothing rather than bold in colour. Naamah and the Ark at Night is a perfect bedtime boo...more
The illustrations in this children's book are done through watercolors collage. I absolutely love the way the people and animals look layered against the background. The illustrations are so detailed. Some pages have only the shadows of the animals reminder the reader of the dark night. I think this book by Susan Campbell Bartoletti illustrated by Holly Meade could have won the Caldecott medal because it is a very distinct form of art and the picture are a great representation of the words.
In the tradition of the best bedtime stories, Naamah feels comfortably familiar before the first reading is done. This "lullaby" uses the ghazal, an Islamic poetic form, to create a gentle rocking reminiscent of a ship at sea or a parent's arms.
Meade's paper collages use a heavy card stock to create a dimensionality, and the simple shapes allude to the obscuring shadows or backlighting moon, even when watercolors fill in greater detail.
With the word "night" ending each line, and internal rhymes...more
Meade's paper collages use a heavy card stock to create a dimensionality, and the simple shapes allude to the obscuring shadows or backlighting moon, even when watercolors fill in greater detail.
With the word "night" ending each line, and internal rhymes...more
Naamah is Noah’s wife and the ark is underway. Every night, Naamah sings to the animals on the ark to keep them calm. The author wrote the text of this book in an old Arabic poetic form called a ghazal.
“As rain falls over the ark at night,
As water swirls in the dark of night,
As thunder crashes the seams of night,
As Noah tosses in dreams of night,
As restless animals prowl at night,
As they pace and roar and growl at night,
Naamah sings all through the night.”
“As rain falls over the ark at night,
As water swirls in the dark of night,
As thunder crashes the seams of night,
As Noah tosses in dreams of night,
As restless animals prowl at night,
As they pace and roar and growl at night,
Naamah sings all through the night.”
As she always does, Susan Campbell Bartoletti has written an intelligent picture book that is more than the sum of its parts. The text is a Blble story and a lullaby... and a contemplation of Noah's wife...and, oh, the exploration of a distinct form of poetry. (Don't miss the Author's Note in the back.) That multilayered text is combined with Holly Neade's fine collage artwork to yield stunning results.
In my 63 years I've never been introduced to an ancient Persian poetic structure called a ghazal, but this beautifully illustrated children's book has done so. Bartoletti tells the story of Noah's wife Naamah as she sings a lullaby to the beasts of the ark, two by two, her husband Noah, and their children. Holly Meade's illustrations are mesmerizing. And . . . she lives in Sedgwick, ME. Yay
Naamah and the Ark at Night is about Naamah, who is the wife of Noah, sings to everyone and everything! For forty days and Forty nights as the ark goes through storms, she sings and everyone falls asleep peacefully. This is a re-tell of the original tale but in the a more rhythmic way for children to understand and enjoy.
This beautiful picture book shows just how versatile Susan Campbell Bartoletti is! Bartoletti uses a Persian fixed-verse form, a ghazel, to tell the story of what Noah's wife does at night aboard the ark. It's a simple and vivid repetition that works well with the gorgeous illustrations.
What a lovely surprise to find during a recent trip to the local library. I hadn't realized that Bartoletti had a picture book in the works. Stunning illustrations and inventive verse based upon a form that might invite younger writers to try their hand at poetry.
A beautiful lullaby crafted by acclaimed author Susan Cambell Bartoletti. I love how Bartoletti imagined what Noah's wife may have been named. Beautiful illustrations by Holly Meade complement the quiet and soft tone of this poetic piece.
Another take on the Noah's Ark tale. This time it's Naamah, the wife of Noah, who sings a nightly lullaby to put the animals to sleep. I have to admit, I wasn't wild about the text, but overall the story is well told and visually interesting...
Naamah, Noah's wife, sings a lullaby to all the creatures and humans aboard the ark at night.
I enjoyed this story for several reasons. The most dominant being that Naamah is often left out of retellings and Bartoletti makes her the star.
I enjoyed this story for several reasons. The most dominant being that Naamah is often left out of retellings and Bartoletti makes her the star.
Liked the poetic form of the ghazal for this - made it different, soothing (last word of poem repeats, second to last contains the rhyme. And Noah's wife's role gave her grandmotherly importance - she rules the night and tames the restless beasts.
Gorgeous! From the silver endpapers, to the illustrations (cut paper and watercolor)to the traditional poetic style (ghazal), a quiet but deeply emotive imagining of Noah's wife soothing the animals with her singing during a stormy night.
The text and illustrations are beautiful. Love the rhythm of the text as the author explains was inspired by a poetic structure called a ghazal requiring each couplet to end in the same word, preceded by a rhyming word.
The beautiful picture book focuses on the work of Mrs. Noah, Naamah. The evocative poem is perfectly complemented by the gorgeous collage illustrations. Another picture book suitable for addition to a middle school collection.
This seems a perfect melding of words and art. I love Bartoletti’s poetry, which is at the same time soothing and vivid . And Meade’s art is fresh, textured and gorgeously-colored.
Pretty, and the author's note was interesting, but I wanted something more substantial. I've seen this on a few Caldecott shortlists, and I'll be disappointed if it wins.
I love this book! It's a calming lullaby for children and a perfect pick as a bedtime read. It's this generation's Goodnight Moon. In other words, it is a classic.
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Susan Campbell Bartoletti is an American writer of children's literature. She was born in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, but eventually the family ended up in a small town in northeastern Pennsylvania. Susan started as an English teacher and inspired many students before deciding to pursue writing in earnest. She sold her first short story in 1989. Three years later in 1992 she published her first pict...more
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