Achbar the mouse hears a kindly old man tell the animals of the world that there will be a great flood, and that he has built an ark big enough for two of each kind of animal to ride out the storm. But by the time Achbar works his way through the tangle of paws and hooves, two other mice have already been selected. Achbar is terrified and does not want to be left behind! His survival instincts tell him to stow away. But will he be discovered by the old man--and will they ever see dry land again?
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Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
What if a stowaway secretly upped the head count on Noah's Ark? That's the crux of Santore's (The Wizard of Oz) imaginative retelling of the Bible story. All the familiar elements are here, but seen from the perspective of a mouse named Achbar. Afraid of being left behind in the storm, Achbar boards with the other beasts and hides among them during the arduous journey. The text has an assured and reverent tone, with just enough playfulness to keep youngsters hooked. Noah and his family go unnamed; young readers can take pride in their own mastery of the story. Dramatically depicting the awesome forces of nature and the difficult conditions on ship, Santore's carefully detailed watercolors possess both elegance and power. The massive wooden ark, each slat and plank visible, is a wonder. And children will enjoy counting and naming the various passengers. Ages 5-8.
Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
PreSchool-Grade 2-Although Achbar the mouse is not chosen to board the ark, he is determined not to be left behind. After stowing away in the feathers of an ostrich, he spends his time during the voyage finding one hiding place after another. Successfully eluding discovery, he disembarks with the other mice after the waters subside. Santore includes the essential elements of the Genesis flood story, from the building of the ark through the sign of the rainbow. However, neither Noah nor God is ever named. Instead "the old man" listens to "the sky." The illustrations of the animals are striking. The artist excels at panoramas such as the line of animal pairs waiting to board and the huge ark resting on the mountain as the creatures leave. Many pages seem washed in sepia, which mutes the colors. Others, such as the panels depicting the flood's destruction, are in black and white, recalling etchings of the deluge. The renderings of the humans are adequate but stiff and formal, straight from the pages of old Bible storybooks or Sunday-school leaflets. The youngest listeners may enjoy finding Achbar's hiding places, but for the most part, this version offers little originality. Purchase only if demand for yet another variation of this familiar story runs high.
Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
stowaway on noah's ark,
By A Customer
This review is from: A Stowaway on Noah's Ark (Hardcover)
This is the traditional story of Noah's Ark told from the perspective of Achbar, a stowaway mouse who runs from hiding place to hiding place fearful of being caught and left behind in the storm. It is a bit wordy for a bright four year old but a story worth telling. For this family, it was the illustrations that compelled us to keep turning the pages. We enjoyed searching for Achbar in his various hiding places and this helped us to focus in on the beautiful pictures.
1.0 out of 5 stars
Terrible!,
By David in Denver (Denver, CO United States) - See all my reviews
This review is from: A Stowaway on Noah's Ark (Hardcover)
This book is terrible! It doesn't even mention God or Noah in the entire book! Instead it says "there lived a kindly old man who spoke to the sky. One day, the sky spoke back..." Why would the author decide to completely remove God and Noah out of a Noah's Ark book? Imagine how confused your kids will be if you read this to them and try to convince them it wasn't God instructing Noah, instead it was just the "sky" speaking to an old man? Avoid this book and find one that is more truthful and accurate instead.
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