Book of Jonah, The [Hardcover]

Peter Spier (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 6, 1985 | Age Level: 5 and up

Retells the Biblical story of the man who spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish. Includes historical material on Jonah's world.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Scholarship and artistic imagination inform the second work based on the Bible by the Caldecott Medalist. Like Spier's version of Noah's Ark, his story of disobedient Jonah retains the drama of the original, and the full-color pictures are wonderful, enhanced by details that mark them distinctively Spier's. Older boys and girls and adults will find the author's afterword additionally absorbing. He cites studies that place the story of Jonah between 400 b.c. and 200 b.c. by a writer aiming to prove that sincere repentance wins God's forgiveness. There is a history of Nineveh illustrated by maps showing ancient and modern areas, the latter pinpointing the city's ruins today. This is where God commanded Jonah to go and urge the citizens to reform, a duty he tried to escape by taking a ship to Tarshish, only to sink into the belly of the whale before getting a second chance to obey.
Copyright 1985 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 3 Unlike his Noah's Ark (Doubleday, 1977), Spier has included the text from the Bible along with his usual delightful illustrations. Noah's humanity is fully exposedhis fear, obedience, anger and acceptance. Each picture is a story in itself, busy, colorful and page-filling, but never intruding on the text. The glossy paper stock of the book makes the pictures more colorful and alive than they are in Noah's Ark . Some who accept the Bible literally may be bothered by Spier's statement that Nineveh was three days journey from where the fish vomited out Jonahboth the King James and the New American versions indicate instead that Nineveh was so large that it took three days to cross. The Book of Jonah is an excellent lap or read-to book, and will be of some interest to older middle-schoolers. Valuable historical material dealing with Nineveh, Joppa and Tarshish in Noah's time, including archaeological maps and findings and diagrams of the Phoenician ships of the day, is located on the back endpapers. Unfortunately the jacket flap covers some of this information. Despite its shortcomings, The Book of Jonah is a delightful addition to the collection, and libraries will want to own at least one copy. Warwick Hutton's illustrations in Jonah and the Great Fish (Atheneum, 1984) are more human and appealing, but the book ends with Jonah being spit out of the fish's mouth and does not have the historical information that Spier's version has. Nancy Schmidtmann, Our Lady of Mercy School Library, Hicksville, N.Y.
Copyright 1986 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 37 pages
• Publisher: Doubleday Books for Young Readers; 1st edition (August 6, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0385193343
• ISBN-13: 978-0385193344
• Product Dimensions: 10.4 x 8.3 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 4.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,143,433 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

24 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars WARNING not the same text as the 1985 edition, January 28, 2003

By A Customer

This review is from: The Book of Jonah (Hardcover)

The 1985 Doubleday editon of Jonah by Spier is a wonderful book. It merits 5 stars, and I agree with everything that reviewer Joan Koelle Snipes says about it - adding that the 1985 edition very closely paraphrases the text of Jonah from the bible, with great illustrations to match it.

However the 2000 Baker edition, while retaining the same illustrations, replaces the bible text with a poorly done fictionalized story about Jonah. Don't get it. Track down the original instead.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent in every way!, November 10, 2002

By 

Joan K. Snipes (Shepherdstown, WV) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Book of Jonah (Hardcover)

This is a wonderful retelling of the story of Jonah. It's a good choice for preschoolers AND elementary school aged children. The illustrations are very detailed, so it is an especially good choice when you are reading aloud to just one or two children. (You need to be close to the book to see and talk about Spier's great pictures.) Our two daughters enjoyed this book when they were young, and I count it as a classic which should be in every home where parents want to teach Bible stories. As a parent and a long-time Sunday school teacher, I highly recommend this book.

5.0 out of 5 stars Another Great Rendition of a Beloved Bible Story, August 22, 2010

By 

Shanna A. Gonzalez "eyelevelbooks.com" (Gaithersburg, MD) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Book of Jonah, The (Hardcover)

Peter Spier has again brought us an enthralling rendition of a beloved Bible story. Unlike his wordless Noah's Ark, this book includes text that closely parallels the biblical story, but the intricate detail and visual drama are interesting enough to keep pre-readers engaged long after the story has been read aloud. For older readers, there is a postscript containing a fair bit of historical background, maps and archaelogical information about the historical Nineveh.