The New York Times Book Review - Taffy Brodesser-Akner
It's a beautiful book to look at; Daniel Nevins's paintings are lively and provocative…it would have been nice, growing up, to have a volume like With a Mighty Hand: visually pleasing and stripped of confusing matter that could threaten any child's understanding, attention span and ultimate captivation. With a Mighty Hand is a great transitional Torah—something between an illustrated book of Bible stories for children and the full heft of the actual Five Books of Moses, still told in its own words, on its own terms, making what was once intimidating palatable.
Publishers Weekly
In this concise and engaging adaptation of the Hebrew Bible, Ehrlich takes the Five Books of Moses and squeezes the essential portions into a comparatively slim volume. Beginning with the story of Creation and continuing through Moses’ death at the end of Deuteronomy, Ehrlich (The Girl Who Wanted to Dance) takes portions of the Torah and summarizes them, using biblical language and cadence. Paintings by Nevins, illustrating his first book, accompany the story, and his saturated colors and flat forms make the paintings appropriately sacral and dreamy. Although Genesis and Exodus are recounted in significant detail, the entire book of Leviticus, which deals with the priestly offerings, consists of only 10 pages, and the last two books are also communicated in few pages. Ehrlich’s gift-friendly abridgment will appeal to readers interested in learning the Bible’s story without the interest or patience to wade through its complexity, or who may prefer to contemplate the striking art. All ages. Author’s agent: Joe Spieler, the Spieler Agency. (Aug.)
From the Publisher
[A] beautiful book to look at: Daniel Nevins's paintings are lively and provocative. I've never seen a more arresting manifestation of Jacob's all-night wrestling match; I looked at the rainbow illustration of the burning bush for a full minute before turning the page. ... [I]t would have been nice, growing up, to have a volume like 'With a Mighty Hand': visually pleasing and stripped of confusing matter that could threaten any child's understanding, attention span and ultimate captivation. 'With a Mighty Hand' is a great transitional Torah — something between an illustrated book of Bible stories for children and the full heft of the actual Five Books of Moses, still told in its own words, on its own terms, making what was once intimidating palatable.
—The New York Times Book Review
So beautiful and new. Ehrlich’s transcendent verse . . . renders these familiar stories as shocking, perplexing and remarkably compelling — just as they always have been.
—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
[V]eteran writer Ehrlich has taken on a mammoth job — and she handles it impressively. ... Although the language is adapted for young people, and the more legalistic books, like Deuteronomy, are shortened, the stories remain intact, and nothing is sugarcoated. The dramatic nature of the stories demands impressive artwork, and Nevins provides it. The full-page pictures, mostly colored in the hues of desert sands and skies, feature sturdy characters, almost as if, like Adam, they’re molded from clay. Much care has been taken with the book’s dignified design. This version of the Torah will elicit thousands of questions, as it always has.
—Booklist (starred review)
[Ehrlich] has ... [broken] up the detailed text and giv[en] it more appeal to young people. Yet the integrity of the biblical tales, the sacred feel of the text, and the flow of ancient history remain intact. .... Nevins’s handsome, richly colored oil on wood paintings, freely scattered throughout the pages, range in style from graphic renderings of the burning bush to a surrealist depiction of Jacob wrestling with God. ... This beautifully executed adaptation deserves strong consideration for Judaica and public library collections.
—School Library Journal (starred review)
Concise and engaging... Paintings by Nevins, illustrating his first book, accompany the story, and his saturated colors and flat forms make the paintings appropriately sacral and dreamy.
—Publishers Weekly
Ehrlich succeeds admirably in an ambitious effort to “write a version of the Torah” by teasing out the narrative thread of Yahweh’s covenant with Israel and following it “through thickets of genealogy, law, and ritual.” ... Beautiful craftsmanship makes this an excellent title for gift giving, but consider it also as a wonderful selection for young people who would like to reconnect their scriptural puzzle pieces into one vibrant picture.
—Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books
Readers of any age will savor the beautifully designed With a Mighty Hand... with stunning art by Daniel Nevins. ... Ehrlich approaches the Torah's stories as a lyrical narrative. She includes the nuanced details and weaves a storyline that brings the characters to life as humans, with strengths and flaws.
—Jewish Journal
A child poring over these handsomely designed pages, made vivid with Daniel Nevins's autumn-toned paintings, will get a sense of the importance of lineage and ceremony in the Jewish faith without having to struggle through complicated dietary laws or confusing lists of "begats."
—The Wall Street Journal
With a Mighty Hand retells the stories in the Bible illustrated with expressive, richly colored paintings by Daniel Nevins. ... Each Parasha is described clearly and concisely making the Torah and ancient Jewish history more understandable to the young reader. The essence of each of the Torah personalities is eloquently presented and clearly communicated, resulting in a greater understanding of Jewish heritage.
—Jewish Book World
This is not your typical children’s illustrated Bible. Veteran author Amy Ehrlich’s With A Mighty Hand elevates the genre for all ages. Ehrlich retells the five books of Moses in language that is poetic, rhythmic, sophisticated, and accessible. The beauty of the words is matched by the stunning illustrations, each one a midrash on the texts. This Torah adaptation is a treasure!
—Cantor Angela W. Buchdahl, Central Synagogue, New York, NY
With a Mighty Hand is incredibly moving. The love and respect and joy that went into its making from the author and the artist and everyone involved just rises off the page. Truly, the book invites the reader into a pause, a hush, and an entirely awesome kind of journey. This is Candlewick magic at its finest.
—Gigi Amateau, author of Come August, Come Freedom
This is a beautiful example of fine bookmaking, from the embossed dust jacket to the thick, lush pages, wide margins and golden design at the corner of every page.
—Greensboro News & Record
This magnificent offering retells the stories of the Torah poetically and lyrically with a rhythm and cadence which beg to be recited aloud. It is accompanied by a beautifully written introduction by the author.
—AJL Reviews (Association of Jewish Libraries)
School Library Journal - Audio
11/01/2013
Gr 3 Up—Adapting the first five books of the Hebrew bible (The Old Testament) for young listeners is no easy task, but Erlich has managed to clarify many of the complexities and confounding passages in her book (Candlewick, 2013). The recorded version features Kate Udall and Francis J. Spieler speaking with subdued emotion, perhaps to lend gravity to the biblical events from Genesis to Deuteronomy. However, the soundtrack comes across flat at times. Chapter headings follow loosely the prescribed readings found in Jewish worship through the year, with a clear emphasis on Genesis and Exodus. Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy aren't as fully represented. One might expect some fanfare preceding dominant events such as "The Sacrifice of Isaac" or "Crossing the Sea of Reeds" or G-d giving Moses and the people of Israel His commandments, but there is slight if any emphasis on these familiar scenes. The book has a sophisticated preface which, unfortunately, is not separated by a track or a sound interlude from Erlich's Torah adaptation. This might be a stumbling block for younger listeners who will not comprehend her Hebrew references or robust vocabulary. Have the print version available for listeners to peruse Daniel Nevin's beautiful illustrations. This audiobook will appeal most to listeners who are already familiar with the Torah's wisdom.—Robin Levin, Fort Washakie Library, WY
School Library Journal
★ 10/01/2013
Gr 7 Up—In shortened, modernized prose format, Ehrlich retells the five books of the Torah as a collection of stories that relate the history of the Israelites and their relationship to Yahweh (their God). She has divided the books of Genesis and Exodus by topic and titled each story in all five books, breaking up the detailed text and giving it more appeal to young people. Yet the integrity of the biblical tales, the sacred feel of the text, and the flow of ancient history remain intact. For example, in the tales of Adam and the patriarchs, the genealogical listings of the generations in each lineage and the ages of the major characters at various junctures in their lives and at death have been included as they appear in the Torah. These stories are not without the violence that is part of the Old Testament, such as the sexual assault on Jacob and Leah's daughter, Dinah, by the Canaanite Shechem and the subsequent slaughter and looting of his brethren by her brothers. Nevins's handsome, richly colored oil on wood paintings, freely scattered throughout the pages, range in style from graphic renderings of the burning bush to a surrealist depiction of Jacob wrestling with God. There is a distinctly biblical look to the Middle Eastern characters. Ehrlich's introduction provides information about the Torah's history. A section of notes explaining some curious customs mentioned in the Torah and a short bibliography of sources are appended. This beautifully executed adaptation deserves strong consideration for Judaica and public library collections.—Susan Scheps, formerly at Shaker Public Library, OH
OCTOBER 2013 - AudioFile
Author Amy Ehrlich presents a retelling of the five books of the Torah in this children’s adaptation. Far from simplifying the story, Ehrlich attempts to create a seamless narrative without adding or taking away from the original. Narrators Kate Udall and Francis J Spieler stay true to this goal. However, while their narrations are engaging and expertly paced, both choose gravity over the flourishes normally found in audiobooks for children. The two narrators alternate chapters, and each reads the biblical names and places flawlessly, allowing the listener to focus on the story itself. The only thing missing from this wonderful adaptation are the maps and illustrations by Daniel Nevins. E.N. © AudioFile 2013, Portland, Maine
Kirkus Reviews
"Anyone who reads the Torah will see that a lot of it doesn't make sense," Ehrlich writes in her introduction. "It is repetitive, inconsistent, even contradictory." Oddly enough, though, a writer who's skeptical about the Bible turns out to be the perfect person to translate it. This Bible begins: "At the beginning, the earth was wild and empty…." She's changed the traditional phrasing just enough that some readers will find it more approachable, and others will find it surprising and unfamiliar. She describes Moses' basket as "a little ark of papyrus," reminding readers of how much danger the baby was in, floating in the middle of the Nile. Nevins' paintings may also change the way people think about the text. When Jacob wrestles an angel, the two of them look almost like one being. The pictures seem to be painted with more colors than exist in nature. They glow. Not every word of the Bible has been included, the text having been pared down to a series of interconnected stories. The book of Numbers is suddenly much shorter and much sadder, consisting of a sobering numbering of the dead. Even readers who are not at all skeptical about the Bible may find that they need this version; it's so beautiful and new. Ehrlich's transcendent verse translation renders these familiar stories as shocking, perplexing and remarkably compelling--just as they always have been. (map, genealogy, endnotes) (Religion. 7-18)
