Without mention of Noah or God (except in an endnote), Winch (Keeping Up with Grandma
) imagines the biblical story of the ark via the eyes of the animals caught in the torrential rains. As various beasts seek higher ground and watch their habitats disappear under water, most find the sole haven in the storm—a wooden vessel helmed by a kindly bearded man and his wife. "Finally, there was only one dry, warm place left." (All along, keen-eyed readers have observed the ark being built in the background of Winch's dramatic oil paintings.) At book's end, "Light and warmth and freedom [has] returned to the earth," and the animals begin to exit the ark—two by two. An author's note places Noah's tale in the context of a larger body of great flood stories found in "more than three hundred cultures." While this additional information gives the text a certain universality, the endnote, along with the assumptions Winch makes of his readers, dilutes the biblical importance of the story and its potential impact. Winch's artwork depicts vast and varied landscapes; however, his animal figures are unevenly rendered, some more anthropomorphic than others. Ages 4-8. (Sept.)
