Moses in the Bulrushes

Hutton, who also has retold Jonah and the Great Fish and Noah and the Great Flood, here depicts the prophet's birth and miraculous escape from the pharoah's death decree. Baby Moses is set afloat among the bulrushes of the Nile, where waterfowl, sailing vessels and a hippopotamus pass by. The pharoah's daughter comes to bathe and discovers the infant, whom she pities. She hires Moses's real mother to nurse the baby, and then adopts him as her own. With its spare text and handsome watercolors, the book grants young children access to one of the world's oldest stories; details like chickens in the yard and a homely wooden cradle add a familiar, compelling touch. (All ages)