Editorial Review

The Old Testament says little about Sarah’s feelings, so this moving picture book draws on midrash (legend) and on modern biblical commentary to imagine the inner life of Abraham’s wife. Warm, clear, rhythmic acrylic double-page spreads show the close bond between husband and wife, as well as the larger story of the couple leading peo-ple as nomads until they arrive in Canaan. Always there is the warmth inside Sarah’s tent, with the doors wide open to welcome others and teach worship of one invisible God. But there is sorrow, too. In a dream, God predicts to Abraham that the children of his children will be as many as the stars, but Sarah cannot bear children, and she urges Abraham to take a second wife—until an angel appears to Abraham, and, finally, a son is born to the elderly couple. They name him Isaac, which means ―laughter,‖ and the climactic picture shows Sarah holding her baby in a world circle of joy.