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misspentdays's review
Covering 4000 years of history in under twenty-five pages is no mean feat, yet Karla Kuskin manages to relate the flux and flow of Jerusalem's history in just twenty-four.
Utilizing a picture book format, Jerusalem, Shining Still features beautiful work by David Frampton. Frampton uses woodcuts to create the illustrations and the style and color palatte work together to create a timeless feel. The story opens on the many types of bread baked in the city, before going on to describe the hills of old Jerusalem and the rise of King David. Following on through the arrival of the Romans and the rise of Christianity, the Persians, the Muslims and so forth; the book does a great job of indicating the onward flow of history, while reminding readers of what they have already learned.
Kuskin is best known for writing poetry and rhyming works. While this book is primarily in prose, her lyrical style comes through in the word choices and flow of the text. Kuskin does include poems in the text, which serve to emphasize particular moments.
This book approaches the history of Jerusalem in an understandable and easy to follow way that makes it approachable for even elementary readers. Jerusalem, Shining Still meets a very particular need in a collection, which would not otherwise be met in the same way. It will serve the world culture and history teachers well. While the use of the term "moslem" is dated, that can be addressed and even spur a conversation about the ways language changes over time. (In 1987, moslem did not have the same negative connotations it does today.) This book is recommended for elementary and middle school libraries, as well as public libraries.
Utilizing a picture book format, Jerusalem, Shining Still features beautiful work by David Frampton. Frampton uses woodcuts to create the illustrations and the style and color palatte work together to create a timeless feel. The story opens on the many types of bread baked in the city, before going on to describe the hills of old Jerusalem and the rise of King David. Following on through the arrival of the Romans and the rise of Christianity, the Persians, the Muslims and so forth; the book does a great job of indicating the onward flow of history, while reminding readers of what they have already learned.
Kuskin is best known for writing poetry and rhyming works. While this book is primarily in prose, her lyrical style comes through in the word choices and flow of the text. Kuskin does include poems in the text, which serve to emphasize particular moments.
This book approaches the history of Jerusalem in an understandable and easy to follow way that makes it approachable for even elementary readers. Jerusalem, Shining Still meets a very particular need in a collection, which would not otherwise be met in the same way. It will serve the world culture and history teachers well. While the use of the term "moslem" is dated, that can be addressed and even spur a conversation about the ways language changes over time. (In 1987, moslem did not have the same negative connotations it does today.) This book is recommended for elementary and middle school libraries, as well as public libraries.
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