book review: Bless the Lord

Book: Bless the Lord - The 103rd Psalm
Illustrator: Johannah Bluedorn
Genre: Children’s picture book
ISBN: 1-933228-02-4

Bless The Lord is a visual feast!

In this 32-page hardcover book, Johanna Bluedorn illustrates each line of the 103rd Psalm (King James Version) with original watercolor paintings - thirty in total. The illustration style reminds me of Victoriana with its attention to detail, its use of borders and its decorative touches. But the picture themes are country – home, community and rural scenes, vibrantly depicted against rich backgrounds of brown, blue, green, purple and yellow. The text is set in calligraphy. The book ends with Psalm 103 in song – four pages of music composed by the artist’s father Harvey Bluedorn*.

What I especially like about this book is the way the illustrations expand on the text. These are the kinds of pictures adults and kids alike would enjoy studying – with their ‘find Waldo"-esque type of detail – opening the door to all kinds of discussion possibilities when the book is shared with a child.

The 11 x 8½ -inch pages are printed on sturdy paper – a good thing too, because most copies will probably get lots of use. I also like the fact that the book doesn’t have a dust jacket. Instead the title graphic is superimposed on a collage of four scenes reproduced from inside the book, with another four on the back. The volume is thus not fussy to handle and is handsome enough to sit on any coffee table. My only regret – I don’t have any wee ones around the house right now with whom to share this book’s delights.

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* Find out more about the Bluedorn family here.

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Disclaimer: The book Bless the Lord was sent to me by Mind & Media as a gift from the publisher who donated the books for reviewers.