Noah’s Gloomy Joyful Ark Book {& Giveaway!}

Do you know a child who could use a little cheer? Then, check out this review of Noah’s Gloomy Joyful Ark. Plus, I’m happy to announce there’s a giveaway with this one!

A herd of books about Noah’s Ark are corralled on book shelves already. So, what makes this one different?

The Author

Jill Roman Lord is a wife, mother of three, runner, author, writer, nurse anesthetist and Jesus lover. She and her husband Bill are learning to navigate the new Empty Nest Years.

She is an author of Christian children’s books. Several of her books have been reviewed on this blog including Dream Big, My Precious One and You’re More Than a Sprout. 

“Jill is a Christian and loves Jesus to her core. He is her all-in-all. She tries to follow His lead but messes up a lot. She looks forward to all God still has in store for her in this journey called life. Charlotte, NC is home to Jill and her family, and you can find her running, hiking, and golfing.” (quoted from jillromanlord.com.)

Noah’s Gloomy Joyful Ark

This 24-page board book presents kids with a question. Were the animals gloomy or joyful during their days on the ark? There are no talking animals in this story. Instead, the narrator invites children to imagine what the animals may have felt like as they entered and journeyed on the ark.

The first page is the only one that mentions the possibility of sadness. This might be a good talking point with children. I’d ask them why might Noah and the animals be sad about entering the ark. (leaving their homes, fear of the unknown, fear of an upcoming storm, some people aren’t joining them because they chose sin instead).

The rest of the book suggests Noah and the animals may have been joyful as they “praised the God who saves!”  Colorful illustrations of various animals accompany the author’s excellent choice of words:

“Chimpanzees may have

hooh-hooh-hahhed.

The poodles gave a bark.

The donkeys may have

hee-hee-hawed,

parading through that ark.”

Readers learn about God keeping all of the animal pairs and Noah’s family safe during the forty days and forty nights of rain. Children hear how all the passengers had to wait 150 days until the land was dry. And there was more rejoicing when God placed His rainbow promise in the sky and everyone was able to finally step off that enormous, floating zoo!

I love that Genesis 9:16 is included at the end of the book after this loving reminder:

“So when a storm blows in our lives,

as storms most always will,

The rainbow will remind us of

our God who loves us still.”

Recommendation & Giveaway

I recommend this joyful and comforting book for ages five and under. It doesn’t mention the reason everyone is boarding the ark. But, it sure celebrates God’s love, protection, and salvation.

To get your name in the drawing for this book all you need to do is make sure you’re on the email subscriber list for this blog. It’s easy and can be done in the sidebar. A name will randomly be selected from the email subscriber list on November 3, 2023. The winner will be announced on this blog post as well as on my Facebook page. I will pay all shipping costs to winners living within the lower 48 states.

WINNER, WINNER, JOYFUL WINNER! Congratulations to Marae! All I have is an email address for this blog subscriber so I’m not sure where she lives. Email address begins with “maranatha…” I’ll be contacting her via email to see where I should mail the book. Yay!

Motivated by the power of story, history, and His Story, Sally Matheny’s passion is telling the next generation wondrous things.

Her nonfiction writing appears in worldwide, national, and regional publications including Appleseeds, Clubhouse Jr., Homeschooling Today, and The Old Schoolhouse. Sally’s first nonfiction picture book, T is for Together: An Introduction to the American Spirit of WWII is scheduled for release by End Game Press in the spring of 2025.

She and her husband live in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains and are blessed with three children, two sons-in-law, and armfuls of grandbabies.

Connect with her on several social media sites, but her favorite hangouts are at SallyMatheny.com and Pinterest.