Stories from the Bible illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger
As longtime readers know, I am fascinated by fairy tales, folktales, myths and classic stories. Combine these with great illustrations and quality packaging and I can’t resist.
Award winning illustrator Lisbeth Zwerger’s career seemingly lies at this very intersection. So I am always on lookout for her books when I browse used bookstores or library sales. And I have been able to find some amazing books for just a few dollars.
My first children’s book illustrated by Zwerger was The Selfish Giant which I loved. Since stumbling on that volume I have become more fascinated and enamored with this artist and her work adding more of her books to my collection. Over the next few days I will be sharing my thoughts on these great books
The first book I came across after Selfish Giant was Stories from the Bible a beautiful combination of excerpts from the King James Bible and Zwerger’s illustrations. But as the School Library Journal notes, this is not really a book likely to appeal to children:
These excerpts, taken verbatim from the King James Version of the Bible, are divided into six groups. The Old Testament sections include stories of the Beginning, the Fathers and Mothers of Israel, the Deliverance out of Egypt, King David, Psalms, and the words of the Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah. The New Testament sections are the birth of Jesus and the beginning of His works, Jesus’s words about His mission, experiences with Jesus, the message of Jesus, the Passion and Resurrection, and “Unto the Ends of the World” (Acts and Revelations). Coverage of Genesis, Exodus, and Jesus’s life and teachings is passable, although there are substantial gaps. The other selections are very limited. The work is imaginatively illustrated with occasional full-page paintings, usually but not always associated with the accompanying text, and a number of decorative vignettes. Often they have an almost surreal quality. In the scene of Moses in the bulrushes, Pharaoh’s daughter watches from a distant riverbank and is accompanied by jackal- and falcon-headed Egyptian gods. The principals may be dressed in modern clothing or carrying suitcases. Colors are muted and the artistic styles vary from meticulously detailed to abstract. The perspectives are sometimes dramatically skewed. With its use of the elevated King James language, its very selective choice of material, and its sophisticated paintings (some illustrations are not readily comprehensible), this title is more a coffee-table art book than a collection of Bible stories for youngsters. There are many anthologies available with friendlier language and more accessible pictures for children.
I agree that the book is more coffee table art book than children’s Bible, but that within that framework it is a beautiful book. And this doesn’t mean you can’t read it with you children.
In the Mail: Amazing Crayon Drawing With Lee Hammond
Amazing Crayon Drawing With Lee Hammond: Create Lifelike Portraits, Pets, Landscapes and More
Description
You don’t have to leave your beloved crayons behind when you grow up! Best-selling author Lee Hammond shows you how to create dramatically realistic and lifelike drawings of a variety of subjects using the familiar and beloved medium of wax crayons. You will learn to draw lifelike animals, people, flowers, landscapes and more using simple techniques and colorful step-by-step demonstrations. Lee shows her proven graphing and blending techniques that translate into remarkable drawings; demonstrates the shape and “puzzle piece” theories that can apply to anything you want to draw; and gives plenty of quick tips for achieving lifelike textures and colors using nothing but crayons.
Tales From Outer Suburbia by Shaun Tan
Cover of Tales From Outer Suburbia
On one of our recent family treks to half-price books, I stumbled upon Shaun Tan‘s Tales From Outer Suburbia. This was one of those where both my wife and I were interested. She more for the illustrations and me for the short vignettes but both of us were intrigued by the combination.
I was vaguely aware of Tan but hadn’t read of owned any of his previous works. But the cover art and a peak inside pulled me in.
I was not disappointed. The book is full of mystery and whimsy; of foreboding and tragedy; of strangeness but joy as well. There is a unique combination of minimalism and depth to both the art work and the stories.
What works about these stories is what I find interesting about short stories, even though it is not my preferred format, they contain a depth that hints at “more” behind the story and yet they seem to capture just the right amount of the story on the page. They let the reader imagine what is off the page in a way that is thought provoking and satisfying somehow.