A Snake, A Flood, A Hidden Baby: Bible Stories for Children written by Meir Shalev, illustrated by Emanuele Luzzati, and translated to English by Ilana Kurshan; Kalaniot Books, 2021; ISBN 9780998-852799; 38 pages; $21.99.
By Donald H. Harrison
SAN DIEGO — The stories from Genesis and Exodus are familiar to anyone who has read the Bible or attended Sunday school, but in making the stories more interesting for children, author Shalev, not unlike the midrash writers of old, has invented some very plausible dialogue.
Retold are the stories of Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, The Tower of Babel; Abraham and Sarah; Joseph and His Brothers, and Moses in the River. Following is a snippet from each to give you the flavor of this enjoyable, and often humorous, collection of stories.
Adam and Eve — Eve declines the snake’s suggestion that she eat fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, explaining that God forbade it. The snake, emphasizing his sibilant sounds, responds, “What are you talking about? I just picked a fruit. Did anything happen to me? Now I’m going to eat it. Is anything happening to me? Hisss …so deliciousss. Its the most delicious fruit in the garden.”
Noah’s Ark — After Noah warns his neighbors that a big flood is coming, and that they should change their ways, the evil neighbors make fun of him: “Flood, shmud. What do we need to be saved from? A little rain? Noah, Noah has no brain. Scared about a drop of rain.”
The Tower of Babel — After God confused the languages of the people who were building the large tower, the following non-conversation occurred. “‘Pass me the hammer,’ one builder said to another in Hebrew. But the second builder spoke only Hungarian, so he passed him a screwdriver instead. ‘Take this brick,’ another worker said in Italian. But his friend understood only Amharic and gave him a bucket instead….”
Abraham and Sarah — Abraham had been sitting outside his tent for some time, wondering if any visitors might come. Sarah called out to him: “Abraham, you’re going to get a sunburn. Come inside.” Abraham stayed put. Sarah sighed because she knew her husband “loved hosting guests and nothing she could do or say would change that.”
Joseph and His Brothers —After his brothers lifted him out of the pit to sell him to the passing caravan, Joseph said: “You should be ashamed of yourselves. I’m your brother.” To which one brother responded,, “We don’t need a brother like you” and another said, “You should be happy we didn’t kill you.” Joseph wept, saying “I’m going to tell Father about all of this.” Another brother retorted, “You’ll never see him again.”
Moses in the River — After Pharaoh decreed that newborn sons should be killed, Moses’ mother at first tried to hide him in their house. “But it was very hard to hide a baby at home. Sometimes an Egyptian neighbor would come in and say, ‘Was that a baby I just heard crying?’ And then they would have to make up all sorts of stories–it wasn’t a baby, but a wailing cat or a creaky door.”
Shalev is a wonderful story teller, and Kurshan equally is a fine translator. Luzzati’s imaginative drawings will make reading these stories to your children (or grandchildren) an even greater delight!
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D0nald H. Harrison is editor of San Diego Jewish World. He may be contacted via donald.harrison@sdjewishworld.com