After Flood CL

With a stroke of originality, Geisert ( The Ark ; Pigs from A to Z ) continues the oft-told story of the Great Flood by imagining life for Noah and his retinue as the waters begin to recede. The ark is transported to a valley site (``Trees were cut and a slide was built''), home is set up and planting begins. The years pass (depicted by increased vegetation and greenery in the illustrations), the human and animal populations grow and the world begins to take shape once again. The flood becomes a thing of the past, remembered only during bouts of heavy rain. Full-color etchings complement Geisert's unusual clarity of phrase. Their texture and subdued tones exude both calm and age, as if taken from the pages of an antique manuscript, and they have a certain stillness, even when their frames are filled with activity, which pulls the reader closer, inviting further study. Younger children will delight in the number of animals to be discovered and counted. An understated, quietly powerful book. All ages. (Mar.)