The Easter Story

by Brian Wildsmith, Brian Wildsmith (Illustrator)

Overview

Once, a long time ago, a little donkey was brought to Jesus. The little donkey had never been ridden before, but Jesus spoke gently to him, and soon he stopped being afraid. Jesus climbed onto the donkey's back, and they set off for Jerusalem. . .

In clear, reverent language and shining gold- toned paintings, award-winning author/illustrator Brian Wildsmith creates this companion book to his earlier A Christmas Story. With an enchantingly simple perspective that will engage even the very youngest child, Wildsmith offers a splendid new version of the greatest story ever told.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780802851895
Publisher:	Eerdmans, William B. Publishing Company
Publication date:	01/01/2000
Pages:	32
Product dimensions:	9.50(w) x 12.00(h) x (d)
Age Range:	5 - 10 Years

About the Author

Brian Wildsmith was brought up in the mining village ofPenistone, near Sheffield, England, and he attended theSlade School of Fine Art. Upon completing his studies,Brian made use of his love of music and skill as a pianistin the National Service, teaching music at the Royal Schoolof Music. He became an art teacher after the NationalService but soon gave up teaching to fulfill his trueambition, painting.

Editorial Reviews

Publishers Weekly
"The text is involving and child-friendly. Yet it is Wildsmith's sumptuous paintings that steal the show. Combining a bright palette with generous gold accents, the art is warm and reverent — almost radiantly joyful."

Amazon.com
"Wildsmith's own passion for the story of Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection is unmistakable in his glorious, metallic-gold-hued illustrations, which tell the story more vividly than words ever could. . . Lush jewel tones capture the richness of the narrative, and mesh in a strangely beautiful way with the simple paintings of Jesus, the angels, Mary Magdalene, and others in the biblical cast of characters. The Easter Story will make a gorgeous addition to any Easter basket."

Kirkus Reviews
"Wildsmith relates key events surrounding the crucifixion in some detail; but the glory of this book . . . is its illustrations. . . . A richly complex visual feast, masterfully integrated into a reverent, unusual interpretation: Wildsmith at his best.“"

Parents' Choice
"The text gracefully handles the crucifixion, which can be difficult for young children to understand, and strategically includes relevant Bible verses with which a child might be familiar. The memorable illustrations with their color washes and gold tones are far from standard fare."

Booklist
"Wildsmith offers an opulent and symbol-laden visual re-creation of Jesus' last days. The actual retelling is simplified, yet faithful to the biblical account. But it is the artwork, not the text that conveys the passion of the story, which Wildsmith treats ‘like grand opera.' . . . A first choice for the Easter collection."

From the Publisher

Wildsmith's paintings steal the show. Combining a bright palette with generous gold accents, the art is warm and reverent — almost radiantly joyful.

Publishers Weekly

Wildsmith has masterfully condensed and simplified the Passion, Crucifixion and Resurrection of Christ for young readers, and provided luminous paintings as accompaniment in his latest picture book. The child-friendly text describes seminal events, as when Jesus rides a faithful donkey into Jerusalem and celebrates the Last Supper with friends. Although the miracles depicted here hold particular significance for Christians, all readers can appreciate Wildsmith's gently rendered artwork and its judiciously applied metallic paints. Expansive scenes of the Holy Land sites are awash in soft watercolors and often flecked with gold. Hovering winged angels and throngs of people wear brilliant, multicolored garments. An ornate purple and gold spread in the Garden of Gethsemane is especially stunning. This sumptuous volume serves well as an introduction to the Bible and also allows room for private interpretation. Ages 4-8. (Mar . )

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 4-The events of Holy Week are viewed by a little donkey who carries Jesus into Jerusalem among waving palms and excited onlookers. He watches the cleansing of the Temple, peers through a window at the Last Supper, waits in the Garden of Gethsemane, and then follows the prisoner to Caiaphas's house and Pilate's court and along the Via Dolorosa to the Crucifixion. He bears Jesus's body to the garden tomb and then witnesses the Resurrection and Ascension before returning to his home. These essentials are told rather sketchily but adequately in a simple text, but the focus is on the huge panoramic double-page spreads lit by sumptuous greens, purples, blues, and reds and highlighted in gleaming gold. The city, rising starkly on its hill, is the walled, arched, and domed Jerusalem of Crusader times. The stylized figures of the angels, soldiers, followers of Jesus, and curious onlookers are splendidly and vividly costumed; and each scene is full of action and detail. The effect of regal splendor and beauty is tied to everyday life by the presence of the wistful, bewildered little donkey who gazes astounded at the events both cruel and celestial. This is a completely different treatment from Elizabeth Winthrop's He Is Risen (Holiday, 1985), also magnificently but realistically illustrated by Charles Mikolaycak and using a more Biblical text.-Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA

School Library Journal

Employing a rich palette of jewel tones and metallic golds, Wildsmith offers an opulent and symbol-laden visual re-creation of Jesus' last days. The actual retelling (with the superfluous and ineffective addition of a donkey who witnesses the events) is simplified, yet faithful to the biblical account. But it is the artwork, not the text, that conveys the passion of the story, which Wildsmith treats "like grand opera." Gethsemane is a riotous garden of purple and gold, textured more as drapery than foliage. The great stone walls of Jerusalem loom ominously over human figures. Even the stone tomb with its altarlike slab is framed as a proscenium arch. Throughout the drama, the figure of Jesus remains relatively small, set against huge and detailed backdrops. Yet he is never overwhelmed by his setting; Jesus is carefully framed by open space, within tightly arched trees, doors, and windowframes, or amid the sweeping oval of a colonnade. After death and burial, a larger, transfigured image of Jesus dominates its setting with a translucent and ethereal quality that underscores the mysteries of the Resurrection and the Ascension. A first choice for the Easter collection.

Elizabeth Bush