‘Children of God: Storybook Bible’
By Archbishop Desmond Tutu
Grand Rapids, Michigan: ZonderKidz, July 2010, 127 pp.
Language: English
Price: $18.99
Regardless of where you and I stand on the topic of religion, Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s Children of God: Storybook Bible is worthy of praise, not only for the simple way its Nobel Peace Prize-winning author retells his 56 favorite Bible stories, but also for the vivid illustrations covering its pages.
Each story is followed by a very short prayer. The “Davis and Goliath” chapter concludes with “Dear God, help me to be brave.”
Another, “Esther Saves her People,” ends with “Dear God, help me to protect my community.”
And “Let my People go” is followed by “Dear God, help me to bring freedom to all of your children.”
“In the spirit of celebrating children all over the world, the artists in this book have been invited to draw on their own unique and rich cultural heritage in illustrating these biblical stories. Their art is truly a marvelous reflection of how we are all made in God’s image,” writes Tutu.
The 20 contributing illustrators hail from across the globe and represent various cultures. Alik Arzoumanian is one of these talented artists, whose brush strokes draw life into three of the book’s stories: “Naboth’s Vineyard,” “The Disciples Learn to Pray,” “and The Coming of the Holy Spirit.”
Arzoumanian, who employs acrylic paint as her main medium, has a distinct style that transports one to a familiar place in the imagination, full of warmth and nostalgia. We see the clean curves of the hills, people, and trees, the quirky Mediterranean houses, and the eyes full of expression—there is something very Armenian about them.
“Pari Louys” (“Good Morning,” in Armenian) is written in the center of “The Coming of the Holy Spirit,” which incorporates words written in a number of languages, including “Sabah el-Khair” (“Good Morning,” in Arabic).
The many illustrations covering the book’s pages are as unique as the individual artists who created them. As I first flipped through the book, I lingered on some of the pages, admiring and absorbing the colors, details, and various means the artists chose to tell the stories. I paused on Arzoumanian’s works as well, without knowing they were hers. The familiarity pulled me in. Other favorites were the works of Nadine Wickenden, Xiao Xin, LeVyen Pham, and Cathy Ann Johnson.
Arzoumanian received her BFA in illustration from the Massachusetts College of Art and Design in Boston. She was a K-5 art teacher at the St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School in Watertown, Mass., and currently lives in England. She has illustrated a number of children’s books, among them Grateful Animals by Sona Zeitlian, So Many Houses by Hester Bass, Where Are You Little Frog? by Kayleigh Rhatigan, and Tunjur! Tunjur! Tunjur! A Palestinian Folktale, retold by Margaret Read MacDonald. She has also written and illustrated several of her own books, most recently Dzirani Anoush.
To view samples of Arzoumanian’s art, visit her website at www.alikart.com. To learn more about Children of God, visit www.zondervan.com.
Nanore Barsoumian
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The most wonderful story for all ages … Children of God … and I have more children coming along for whom I would greatly appreciate Archbishop Desmond Tutu’s precious book. The audio CDs are not essential on my list. So … praying it’s available!