Title: Gabriel of Noah’s Ark
Author: Patrick Acosta
Publisher: URLink Print and Media, LLC
ISBN: 9781643679389
Pages: 134
Genre: Religious Children’s Book
Reviewed by: Rae Capri
Hollywood Book Reviews
Children’s books open ways for parents to teach their children about any subject, with ease. No more struggling to explain details of a story if every detail is worded in such a way for the understanding of children. Encouraging your child to learn about religion and making it a part of their lives, will benefit them well into their adult years. God is everywhere and he wants nothing short of wonder for everyone and everything he has created. We’ve all heard about the famous Noah’s Ark story, either from the bible or in passing, and we know how the story goes. It makes you wonder, what was the perspective like from the animals’ point of view?
In Gabriel of Noah’s Ark, author Patrick Acosta developed a connection between two characters, a man named Noah and a lion named Gabriel. These two individuals became the foundation for a wonderful friendship and cohabiting environment for men and animals. Through God, they were truly God’s chosen ones because they soon learned of a great adventure that would require both of them to communicate to their kind of a cleansing of the Earth. Noah was asked by God to build an ark, a massive wooden ship to house men, women, and children, as well as a pair of every animal of God’s creation. Of course, before it all began, Noah was sent on a mission to warn the people of his community, including members of his family. Gabriel was sent on that same mission, but to communicate with the chosen animals who already received word by God. All man and creature were ready, so they piled into the ark once the building of the ark was complete. Unfortunately, Noah’s people, including his wife and one of his sons, were just too stubborn to listen and follow him into the ark. So, everyone and everything that remained on the outside of the ark would suffer at the hands of God.
Both Noah and Gabriel had an established connection before Gabriel was receiving the gift to talk to animals. It was a mutual understanding that the two of them had to lead God’s chosen to the ark, for protection, and to have the ability to repopulate the world. As a reader, you will understand the meaning as to why the building of the ark and the cause for the flood was necessary. We also witness how individuals disregarded Noah as a delusional and crazy man who was doing the best he could to save his brethren. We know how the story ends, but this ending tied both main characters together, in highlighting the nature of their bond.
Although this was a children’s novel with illustrations, I enjoyed reading this book. It brought back memories when I was a child reading the children’s Bible and how it had illustrations to accompany each character’s story. The author didn’t shy away from the concept of obeying God’s word to continue receiving His love in the form of blessings.
The characters who followed Noah were all special individuals and creatures that fully trusted the works of God. One part that I liked most had to be when God provided Gabriel the gift to communicate to all animals in the kingdom, which allowed him to give directions without misunderstandings. This book sheds an insightful experience from the animals’ perspective, which is something not shared in the Bible. In allowing Noah the ability to communicate with his new lion friend in his language, they were able to spend enough time learning more about each other. This book was well-written and illustrated and I highly recommend this to parents to read to their children.