The Horn Book Guide

PRESCHOOL

Spinelli, Eileen

Jonah's Whale

32 pp. | Eerdmans | January, 2012 | Trade ISBN 978-0-8028-5382-0 $16.00

(2) PS Illustrated by Giuliano Ferri. In retelling a story common to the Jewish, Christian, and Muslim faiths, Spinelli cleverly takes a limited--and nonsectarian--perspective: the whale's. The whale's point of view is developed with simplicity and touches of humor ("Whale was troubled. Where was God?. . . 'It will not be my fault if I throw up!'"). Fluid watercolor and colored-pencil illustrate this entertaining version.

Reviewer: Joanna Rudge Long | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012