This powerful and poetic story, drawn from a Kurdistani tale based on the Old Testament, retells the story of the death of Moses. With graceful and moving prose and richly colored illustrations, Gerstein has created a memorable book.
| |||||||||||||||
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From School Library Journal
Grade 2 Up-When God tells Moses that his time on earth has ended, Moses protests that his 120 years "'seem like one short day.'" God answers that even the longest span speeds by. But Moses does not accept death until the very mountains, the sun, and the stars assure him that their time too will come. Then Moses submits, and God Himself descends to take his soul. Now He also weeps, saying "'Who will oppose evildoers? Who will speak for me and love me as Moses did? And whom will I love as well?'" Then the angels and souls in heaven comfort Him, asserting that "'in death as in life, Moses is yours.'" This moving and brilliant example of midrash combines the universal experience of revulsion at mortality, and the healing moment of acceptance, with a sense of the greatness of a Western culture-hero, Moses, and the Jewish tradition of intimate yet respectful relations with God. The oil on vellum illustrations, dominated by shades of blue and amber, recall the naivete of medieval manuscripts, but also convey both the transcendence of God and His immanence, as He touches the earth and even Moses's lips. It would be a pity if this simple but profound book, richer than Gerstein's The Mountains of Tibet (HarperCollins, 1987), sat ignored on the religion shelf. Its wisdom and beauty lift it far above the sectarian.
Patricia Dooley (Green), St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Patricia Dooley (Green), St. George's School, Newport, RI
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From Booklist
Ages 6-10. A moving fable that incorporates the Jewish concept of struggling with God. Moses has lived his allotted time, but he is not yet ready to die, despite God's call. Although he eloquently pleads for more time--"Turn me into a tiny butterfly, only let me live"--God refuses to extend his life, sending the archangels to fetch Moses' soul, but they are too sorrowful to perform the task; only the angel of death takes on the assignment with relish, but Moses smites him. So the Lord Himself descends to Earth to take Moses' soul with a kiss; yet afterward, He experiences almost unbearable sadness. He has lived up to His own rules, but He has lost the human closest to Him. The Chagall-like paintings, featuring cabalistic symbolism and heavenly colors, are full of magic. Younger children probably will not understand either the story or the art in a conventional manner, but they will intuit the themes of love, loss, and humanity's mysterious relationship with God. The best audience for this, however, may be older children who will be able to talk about many of the poignant issues the story raises. Ilene Cooper
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?
|
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
|
There are no customer reviews yet.
|
|||
|
Video reviews
|
Tag this product(What's this?)Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items. |
Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store
If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store.
Learn more
Customer Discussions
|
This product's forum
Active discussions in related forums
Search Customer Discussions
|
Related forums
|
