The Moses Basket, written by Jenny Koralek and illustrated by Pauline Baynes, relates the story of how baby Moses was saved by the Egyptian Pharaoh’s daughter.
The Pharaoh declared that all Hebrew babies be put to death. To save Moses’ life, his mother, with the help of her daughter Mariam, hide him in a basket and float him down the river. They time it so the Pharaoh’s daughter will find the basket when she comes to the river to bathe. When she sees baby Moses sleeping in the basket, she realizes he is the child of a Hebrew slave, but she doesn’t take the baby to her father so he can be slain. Instead, as the story goes, she ends up paying Moses’ mother to feed him and care for him for a few years before he goes to live in the Pharaoh’s palace!
The story references the Scriptures, citing passages from the book of Exodus at the beginning of the book.
The illustrations are what you would expect for a story set in Egypt during Biblical times. They are what I would call classical illustrations for a story of this nature, done in muted tones with the well-known Egyptian persona and motifs throughout.
What I Like: The story is told with a lot of conversation between the characters. It brings the story to life; I like that.
What I Dislike: Nothing.
Overall Rating: Very good.
Age Appeal: The publisher suggests an age level of baby-preschool. I don’t think this book is suitable for babies. Preschoolers would probably enjoy it, as would children in the elementary grades, so I would say the age range is from 3-8.
Publisher Info: Eerdman’s Books for Young Readers: 2003; 0802852513; Hardcover: $16.00.
Special Info: Read our reviews of other books written by Jenny Koralek and illustrated by Pauline Baynes.
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