There's a Goblin on the Ark

A gentle message of diversity and inclusion for young children, as well as a subtle nod to gender fluidity, makes this a most unusual and modern Noah's Ark story. "A gentle, accessible take on Noah's Ark laced with a message of acceptance." --Kirkus Reviews "Conveys the importance of unity." --The Jewish Book Council An eerie noise in the night is disturbing the sleep of all the animals on Noah's ark. None of the animals can identify the strange sound that has woken them up.It doesn't sound like the owls, or the cows or even the pigeons. Then the rabbits discover---a goblin! Frightened of this strange creature, the animals try everything to scare it away. But when they hear the same strange sound coming from another part of the ark, they realize there are TWO goblins just searching for one another, and as they rally to help, create a feeling of safety for everyone on the ark through the stormy days. Young children will love trying to help solve the mystery, imitate familiar animal sounds, and contrast them with the unfamiliar sound of a sweet-looking goblin, and join in as all the animals on the ark call to the goblin's partner so the two can be reunited. An end note for families explains the Jewish origin of goblins, the Jewish concept of tikkun olam (repairing the world), and the importance of both finding the similarities between ourselves and others, and accepting, even celebrating, our differences.

About the Author :
Susan Tarcov grew up next to the Bronx Zoo in New York, a great inspiration for writing children's books.  Her previous books include Maya Prays for Rain, Raisins and Almonds: A Yiddish Lullaby, and The Rabbi and His Donkey. She is married, has three children, and lives in Chicago, IL. Susan Tarcov grew up next to the Bronx Zoo in New York, a great inspiration for writing children's books.  Her previous books include Maya Prays for Rain, Raisins and Almonds: A Yiddish Lullaby, and The Rabbi and His Donkey. She is married, has three children, and lives in Chicago, IL. There’s a Goblin on the Ark!  is Mackinzie Reker's second children's book. When she isn't illustrating, you can find her reading, traveling, or reading about traveling.  She lives with her husband, three rambunctious children, and one wild dog in Iowa City, Iowa.

Review :
In this whimsical imagining of Noah’s Ark, the animals puzzle over a mysterious noise. What could be making that "woooooo" sound? It’s not the owls or the cows or the pigeons; those "hoooooo," "moooooo," and "coooooo," respectively. When the animals discover an adorable little green goblin, they immediately team up to drive the creature away. But soon they realize that the goblin is calling out to find their mate—the goblin is one of a pair, just like everyone else on the boat. The read-aloud–friendly text lends itself to a younger audience, with rhyming sounds and pleasant repetition. There’s even a brief exploration of the senses as the animals combat the goblin using bright lights, loud noises, and stinky odors (courtesy of the skunks). Halfway through, the story shifts to a narrative about the importance of helping strangers, no matter how different, as the animals work to unite the two goblins. The colorful cartoon animals and their emotive faces contribute to an overall coziness that bridges both halves of the tale. The illustrations depict one representative from almost every species pair with long eyelashes—an unnecessary hint of sexism. Though we’re told early on that Noah brought the animals onto the ark, no humans are seen, and the story contains no overt biblical references. (This book was reviewed digitally.) A gentle, accessible take on Noah’s Ark laced with a message of acceptance. (author’s note) (Religious picture book. 2-5) --Kirkus Reviews Although they were unac­cus­tomed to their sur­round­ings and to one anoth­er, the ani­mals on Noah’s ark all fell asleep on their first night. Awak­ened by a fright­en­ing sound, they join forces to dis­cov­er the crea­ture that has dis­turbed their peace­ful slum­ber. They dis­cov­er that a gob­lin has tak­en up res­i­dence on the ark, so they band togeth­er to dri­ve the intrud­er away. But when the ani­mals real­ize a pair of gob­lins is on the ark search­ing for one anoth­er, they decide to help them find each oth­er and encour­age them to join the oth­er pairs of ani­mals on their jour­ney. The ani­mals learn that if they depend on one anoth­er and help each oth­er adapt, the long trip will be eas­i­er for them all. The book’s fun ani­mal nois­es will delight any child — and adults shar­ing the sto­ry as a read-aloud will enjoy them­selves, too. The illus­tra­tions are joy­ful and add a great deal of charm. And the upbeat end­ing con­veys the impor­tance of unity. --The Jewish Book Council