How Noah Knew What To Do

How Noah Knew What to Do, tells the story of Noah's Ark, and shows how Noah, who didn't know anything about ship building, was able to build the ark with the help of the Lord. Written by Karen Moore, and illustrated by Pete Kersten, this book has a squishy blue gel pack on the front for little hands to manipulate.

The story of Noah and the ark is told, but with an emphasis on the fact that Noah was able to build the ark with God's help because he trusted in God.

When God tells Noah to build the ark, Noah is apprehensive about the fact that he doesn't know anything about building ships. He trusts God without question, and realizes that God is helping him every step of the way.

This book urges children to:

"Think of Noah if you CAN'T
Do BIG things you must face.
And know that with God's love, YOU CAN,
Because you're in His grace.

For just like Noah learned back then,
You and I can learn now too,
That with God's help and lots of faith,
There's nothing you can't do."

What I Like: The book stresses that you can do anything with the help of the Lord, which is a great truth for kids to learn.

What I Dislike: I think the author took a lot of liberty when recounting the story. For example, to describe why God sent the flood the book states: "Everything on earth is wheezing, getting sicker every day, taking all the joy away." There is no mention at all of sin in a way that a child can understand. In fact, a lot of the main facts about the story of Noah are not mentioned at all. The bottom line is that if you are looking for a biblically accurate retelling of the story, this book is not for you. Also, the rhyme is forced in places, making the text awkward to read aloud. And although both of my girls liked feeling the gel pack on the front of the book, this wasn't enough to hold their interest.

Overall Rating: Ho-hum

Age Appeal:4-8

Publisher Info: Thomas Nelson, 2009; ISBN:1400314410 ; Hardcover $12.99.

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