If Noah had been an artist, he might have left us these plans for the building of the ark. With panoramic elevations and gloriously detailed cross sections, we can see how every arrangement is made for the accommodation of the pairs of animals. As the sky darkens and the rains fall, Noah and his family are busied with the care and feeding of all their passengers.
Arthur Geisert grew up in Los Angeles, California, and claims not to have seen a pig until he was an adult. Trained as a sculptor in college, Geisert learned to etch at the Otis Art Institute in Los Angeles. Geisert has published just about a book a year for the past thirty years. Every one of his books has been illustrated with etchings. His work has appeared in The New Yorker and The Horn Book Magazine. In 2010 his book Ice was selected as a New York Times Book Review Best Illustrated book of the year. Geisert currently lives in a converted bank building in Bernard, Iowa.
Not many words, but the illustrations are enchanting! My son really loved this book, as did I. He was full of questions and observations as we slowly read through it.
Geisert begins with a passage from scripture. He then shares the familiar story of Noah and the Ark with simple text for children to understand. The illustrations resemble pencil sketches.
I appreciated the connection to the book of Genesis but colored illustrations were greatly missed.