Noah, his wife Na'ama, and his sons Shem, Ham and Japheth are kept busy on the ark, feeding all of the animals in their care in this imaginative take on the biblical flood myth. Despite the work, only the two chameleons on board, changeable in color but steadfast in their refusal to eat, prove a challenge to care for. Nothing the family do can convince them to try a bite to eat... until worms are found in the ark's food stores. Suddenly the chameleons begin to feast, saving both themselves and the ark's other residents. Thanks to Noah, even the worms (at least two of them) are also preserved...

Originally published in Israel as איך הצילה הזקית את נח ("How Did Chameleon Save Noah?"), The Chameleon That Saved Noah's Ark presents a creative new take on a well-known tale from author Yael Molchadsky, a children's book editor in her home country who makes her authorial debut here. I appreciated the fact that this was a story about how Noah and his family cared for the animals, and that it focused on a particular challenge they faced. After all, I can vividly recall thinking, when reading this Bible story as a child, that Noah must have had a tough time keeping the peace between the various animals in his charge. It only makes sense that he might also have trouble keeping them all properly fed. I also appreciated the solution to the problem of the chameleons' diet, and the fact that Noah doesn't allow all the worms to be eaten, acknowledging that this species too has its place in the world, and its role to perform (go worms, aerate the earth!). As much as I enjoyed the narrative here however, I found the artwork even more appealing. This was my first encounter with Orit Bergman's illustrations, but I certainly hope it will not be my last! I loved her use of color, and her stylized figures, and think that the visuals here really amplified the pleasure of the reading process. Recommended to anyone seeking fun and creative retellings of the Noah's Ark story for children. ( )

noah's ark tale ( )