Hiding Baby Moses

PUBLISHERS WEEKLY 8. FEB. 2021

Confiding text and tender drawings distinguish this version of the story of Moses in Exodus. Writing in the voice of Moses's sister Miriam, Roth immediately places the reader in the action: "Last night, Mama plastered tar all over a baby-sized basket. Now she checks to see if the tar is dry, and she cries." Cataldo's drawings focus tightly on the family as they move from their home through the marketplace (the baby's cries masked by Mama's lullaby) to the grassy, emerald-colored banks of the Nile. When Pharaoh's daughter and her entourage appear in profile, there's a sense of destiny being set in motion. But the transcendent power of loving relationships remains at the heart of this retelling: the images that follow the baby's discovery underscore how, thanks to Miriam's quick thinking, Moses is not only saved but becomes the center of a new family unit, forged by three women who are dedicated to his survival and future. Ages 3–7.