All Afloat on Noah's Boat

All Afloat on Noah’s Boat! by Tony Mitton, illustrated by Guy Parker-Rees, is an eye-catching book full of ear-catching rhymes. The story begins with Noah building his ark and progresses to the loading of the boat as the rain begins to fall. Noah clangs his bell to call the animals and tells them, “…the ground’s getting wet. It’ll soon be mud. Come and keep safe from the rising flood.”

The animals get restless and bored on the ark (to quote the book, "the snakes got the wriggles"), so Noah devises a talent show for them. My children loved the funny facial expressions on the animals. I thought the talent show antics were really cute, especially the back-flipping frogs.

The only creatures that can’t perform are the caterpillars because they’re still wrapped in their cocoons. But Noah needs a grand finale, and the surprise is the metamorphosis that occurs when the caterpillars are “done.”

The artwork throughout the book is colorful and detailed, but the surprise is the huge, bright butterflies at the end.

What I Like: The illustrations are bold and humorous. This story is a new and unique spin on a well-loved Bible story.

What I Dislike: Nothing. Some parents might like the book to mention God’s role more specifically. My children are familiar enough with the context that I didn’t think it was needed.

Overall Rating: Excellent

Age Appeal: Ages 4 to 8, although much younger children would enjoy the pictures and would be familiar with Noah’s Ark

Publisher Info: Orchard Books, 2007, ISBN-10: 0439873975, Hardcover $11.55

Buy it now at Amazon.com for $ 11.55