Easter

Extracting verses from the King James version of the New Testament, Pienkowski illustrates the story of Easter using cut-out, silhouetted scenes and people against colored backgrounds; he illuminates the text with gilded vines and apt symbols from the telling (grapes during the last supper, thorns at Jesus's condemnation by the crowd at Pontius Pilate's, etc.). Like the figures from Mitsumasa Anno's In Shadowland , these people are rendered archetypal by their facelessness, with only postures and actions to reveal the compelling drama of the story. From the last days with his disciples to his last appearance, at his earthly resurrection, Jesus is portrayed as a man bent by the burden of his task. The ornate design of the book makes for effectively incongruous vignettes: a silhouetted scorpion travels along one of the golden vines; Judas's body dangles from another. This is a masterful visual ode to a biblical story, and will give readers of any age a cornucopia of images to pore over and think about. All ages. (Feb.)