From Publishers Weekly
Illustrated with frescoes by Giotto from the Scrovegni Chapel in Padua, this lavishly produced picture book about the life of Christ is an interesting combination of coffee-table art book and genial sermon. Expanding upon religious views introduced in earlier books by L'Engle, her impassioned narrative is followed by A. Richard Turner's elegant afterword explaining the historical significance of the paintings. Infrequently acknowledging controversy, L'Engle authoritatively decides thorny theological issues: "Even for Jesus, the human being, his understanding of his Godness did not come all at once," she says, but "there was a glimmer when he was a boy of twelve and talked with the elders in the Temple." L'Engle's tale is frequently layered with advice to the young: "Sometimes it is very important to have an older friend who is not a parent," she says of Mary's visit to her cousin Elizabeth. Like a parson interpreting Christ's story to her young flock, L'Engle focuses on those aspects of her faith that require belief in the "Glorious Impossibles that . . . bring joy to our hearts, hope to our lives, songs to our lips." Ages 8-up.
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 5 Up-- Inspired Christian belief and high Christian art resonate in this beautiful volume as L'Engle retells 25 of the events of Jesus' life and ministry. Each of the Bible stories is accompanied by a full-page, full-color reproduction of one of Giotto's famed frescoes from the Scrovegni Chapel or, as it is often called, the "Arena Chapel" in Padua. Despite the tragic depiction of the massacre of the innocents, the dark drama of the betrayal and crucifixion, and the solemnity of Giotto's famous lamentation scene, the tone of the retelling is full of joy, the drama explained as the will of Heaven, the death of Jesus as the victory of love, and the miraculous events as the "Glorious Impossible" that faith accepts and knows as truth. The stories are narrated in a poetic, informal style that incorporates familiar Biblical phrasing with modern, conversational comments and explanations. The text flows, and can be read aloud without showing the illustrations. At the same time, Giotto's frescoes are reproduced with such clarity and richness of color that they can be valued as quality reproductions of Renaissance art. The frontispiece photograph of the Scrovegni Chapel (although reversed) and an afterword about Giotto's place in art history add to the potential use of the book for art history. The text and the pictures fit so well together that L'Engle's words enhance the appreciation of Giotto's art, and the magnificence of the frescoes illuminates the Christian story. The result is a beautiful devotional book that will be a valued addition to the religious shelves of a library or an art-book collection. --Shirley Wilton, Ocean County College, Toms River, NJ
Copyright 1990 Reed Business Information, Inc.
