00004352

This is an American folk song about counting the animals going onto Noah’s Ark. The book includes music for the song.
Ed Emberly used woodcuts to print up to 57 impressions on a page. The pictures themselves are black but each thick cardstock type page is a vibrant color. ( )

Well, hm... I wouldn't have chosen this folk song to adapt & illustrate. It's a counting rhyme, and the lore of the Ark is that every critter is paired. And the illustrator didn't make the pictures relate consistently to the text. And I always thought the dove was sent to find land, not the raven? Nonetheless, it's Emberley, so it's worth looking at. ( )

This book presents an appealing retelling of the Noah's ark story using the words of a folk song and bold woodcut illustrations by Ed Emberley. Unlike the traditional story, the animals do not board in pairs, but rather more are adding with each page, making the story a counting book. The geometric illustrations are printed in black ink on vividly colored paper, the woodcut printing technique lending itself well to pattern and repetition. The words and pictures work together well to create a humorous and imaginative book. Recommended for preschool and kindergarten children. ( )