The journey with Jonah [Unknown Binding]

Madeleine L'Engle (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: 1978

Winner of the Newberry Medal for A Wrinkle In Time, Madeleine L'Engle presents a short, but effective morality play elaborating on the Biblical story of Jonah and the Great Fish. The Cleveland Press calls it,"...Delightful to read, simple to produce and full of ideas for discussion." "A littlejewel of a play."--The National Catholic Register. Illustrated in black-and-white.

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"A short, effective morality play elaborating the Biblical story...The drama is simple, direct, poetic yet not without humor and depth of meaning. Helpful production notes are included...Fisher's black-and-white illustrations add beauty and dignity." --School Library Journal

--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Unknown Binding: 63 pages
• Publisher: Farrar, Straus and Giroux (1978)
• Language: English
• ASIN: B0006WTVCU
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Strange Journey, December 31, 2010

By 

R. Chaffey "beckahi" (Chicago) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Journey With Jonah (Hardcover)

Madeleine L'Engle is best known as a gifted children's author, but her literary career also spanned novels for adults and religious writings. "The Journey With Jonah" is a short play that fleshes out the Biblical story in an unusual and comic fashion. At the same time, it is a thought-provoking read that highlights L'Engle's poetic ability and intelligent writing.

The play begins with Jonah's tirade against God, for he is upset and unwilling to travel to Nineveh to play the prophet to that evil town. Anyone familiar with the Biblical story will know that Jonah's refusal finds him cast overboard and into the belly of a great whale until he finally accepts God's purpose for his life. These events are witnessed by a cast of animals, the only other characters in the play: first by a collection of birds, particularly a blue jay which follows him on his misadventures, then a family of rats, a fish, the whale, a turtle, and a worm. Knowing that the other characters are animals makes it a little difficult to conceive exactly how this play was produced, but these animal companions are a natural choice for a prophet who was unwilling to heed God's call.

"The Journey With Jonah" is a unique read that is difficult to find nowadays. The black and white illustrations by Leonard Evertt Fisher complement the play with their stark beauty and simplicity. L'Engle's prose sparkles with poetry as she paints a fresh picture of this well known Biblical episode.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Journey with Jonah, February 7, 2010

By 

Mary I. Garrard "Mib" (Sherman, Tx. USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Journey with Jonah (Paperback)

This is a play that children would enjoy putting on and would be learning about the Biblical Jonah at the same time (probably without realizing that that's part of the point of the play.) It is also extremely readable for adults.