(4) 4-6 Illustrated by Sergio Martinez. This picture book in verse explores the meaning behind the biblical parable of the vine and the branches. The text has a promising beginning, but the constraints of the rhyme scheme are a drawback: the message becomes muddled due to the authors' need to find the right rhyme and rhythm. Loose, flowing black lines define the details in the careful illustrations, which are rendered in natural brown-and-green tones.

Reviewer: Anne St. John