Jonah & the Whale - Hardcover

PreSchool-Grade 2-- In the same style as Williams' The First Christmas (Random, 1988), this book offers a compact yet softly flowing text suitable for the youngest readers and listeners, complemented by her uniquely charming watercolor wash illustrations and humorously playful caricatures. Left and right borders on each page feature items relevant to the action found in the larger illustrations. Williams continues to make use of multi-partite illustrative strips on several pages, giving a "comic strip" effect, yet she has also expanded into full- and double-page spreads in keeping with the expansive nature of this tale. Endpapers of tiny fish enclose this delightful retelling in which Williams has managed to produce a new and refreshing package from a tale told and illustrated again and again. As this is well suited for individual sharing, public and parochial school libraries should give yet another Jonah a try with their preschool and primary clientele. --Celia A. Huffman, Cuyahoga County Public Library, Cleveland
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.