The Moses Basket

The Moses Basket

From School Library JournalGrade 3-5-When Moses's mother learns of the Pharaoh's command that all male Hebrew babies be thrown in the river, she makes a papyrus cradle in which to lay her infant son. She and her daughter Miriam place him on the water, and Miriam assures her that when the princess walks by, she will save the child. Staying true to the Old Testament tale, Koralek keeps a reverential tone and tells the story using accessible though not oversimplified language. The beautifully rendered artwork is well placed and successfully evokes a strong sense of place and time.Leslie Barban, Richland County Public Library, Columbia, SCCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.A simple retelling of how Moses, who grew to lead the Hebrews out of captivity in Egypt, was saved when his mother and sister set him adrift in a water-tight basket where Pharoah's daughter would find him.From BooklistK-Gr. 1. Koralek focuses here on a small piece of the familiar Old Testament story about baby Moses in the bulrushes. The largely straightforward retelling, enlivened by quotes, begins with the cruel pharaoh's decree that "every baby boy born to a Hebrew slave was to be thrown into the river." The pictures tell the story with equal clarity: the slaves at work, the pharaoh's whips, the discovery of the baby in the basket, Miriam's bold plan, and the joyous family reunion. Baynes' gently textured illustrations have the feel of ancient Egyptian art in the geometrically patterned borders surrounding the pictures, the flattened shapes of the characters, clothing details, and stark backgrounds. The earth-tone colors are enlivened and softened with shades of turquoise and daubs of bright orange and gold. This unpretentious, accessible segment of a familiar story will work well on its own, as a preamble to the longer story, or, for older children, as a springboard for a simple discussion of slavery then and now. Stephanie ZvirinCopyright