A time to love : stories from the Old Testament

lizabeth Bush (The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books, September 2003 (Vol. 57, No. 1)) The Myerses offer a half dozen retellings of well-known Bible stories, cast in the first-person narration of a major character. The tales proceed in no discernible order, leading off with Delilah’s

Show More

breathy musings about her betrayed lover, Samson, then back to Reuben and Joseph, further back to Isaac and Abraham, and winding up in Egypt on the eve of the Exodus with Aser and Gamiel. Stories such as Abraham’s intended sacrifice cling close to Biblical events while delving into purported thoughts and motivations of individuals, in this case the befuddled victim, Isaac. Others, such as Samson and Delilah, are more fanciful and uneven; W. D. Myers limns Delilah as a shaky composite of fifteen-year-old innocent, political pawn, and remorseful lover, while C. Myers disregards the textual age setting and depicts her in the more traditional role of worldly-wise seductress. Readers well up on their Scripture will undoubtedly chuckle at Myers’ genteel treatment of Lot’s daughter “Zillah,” who ponders the mystery of her mother’s transformation into salt but throws on the literary brakes just short of seducing her father in the cave. Illustrations range wildly among staged photographs, collage, paintings, and sketches; golden wash gives the pages a faux-papyrus appearance, a curious affectation considering that Egyptian sources are maddeningly quiet on the subject of the Israelites. This is neither as gripping nor imaginative as Peter Dickinson’s City of Gold or Jan Mark’s God’s Story (BCCB 5/98), but collections featuring a broad selection of Bible retellings may want a copy on their shelves. Review Code: Ad -- Additional book of acceptable quality for collections needing more material in the area. (c) Copyright 2003, The Board of Trustees of the University of Illinois. 2003, Scholastic, 127p, $19.95. Grades 5-9.

Show Less