[.ca] The Story of Jonah (ISBN 0613624890)

An effective retelling of a classic Bible story:
In "The Story of Jonah," Mary Auld retells a familiar tale from the Hebrew Bible. Auld's easy-to-read text is complemented by the excellent full-color illustrations of Diana Mayo. Overall, Auld and Mayo are faithful to the original text, with one curious exception. In the biblical Book of Jonah, not only does the king of Nineveh order all his people to put on sackcloth and fast (chapter 3), but he also orders the animals of the city to do so! This bizarre detail is left out of the Auld/Mayo version. And that's a shame; the illustrator missed a wonderful opportunity to depict some marvelous images. A useful map is included at the end of the book. Other study aids at the end of the book are clearly directed towards a believing Jewish or Christian audience; thus, parents who belong to a different faith tradition, or who are interested in the story of Jonah purely as literature, may want to skip this material. Overall, this version of Jonah is well-done. I give especially high praise to Diana Mayo's fine artwork, which captures many iconic images with both delicacy and energy. This book is a good choice for the family library.