The Book of Jonah

by Peter Spier

Retells the Biblical story of the man who spent three days and three nights in the belly of a great fish. Includes historical material on Jonah's world.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Christian, Nonfiction, History, Jewish, Religion

36 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1985

About the author

Peter Spier has established himself as one of the most gifted illustrators in this county. His Noah's Ark was the 1978 Caldecott Award winner, while The Fox Went Out on a Chilly Night was a Caldecott Honor book in 1962. The firs two books in his widely acclaimed Mother Goose Library, London Bridge Is Falling Down! and To Market! To Market! were winner and runner-up respectively for the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award. The Erie Canal and Noah's Ark both won Christopher Awards, while Gobble, Growl, Grunt received Honorable Mention in the first Children's Science Book Award program, sponsored by the New York Academy of Science.

Born and educated in Amsterdam, Mr. Spier came to New York in 1952 after serving in the Royal Dutch Navy and working for a number of years as a reporter for Elsevier's Weekly, Holland's largest magazine. He has illustrated over a hundred books and has contributed a series of murals to the H. F. Du Pont Winterthur Museum in Delaware.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the story of Jonah and the Whale or Jonah and the fish as told in the bible. There is a lot of information at the end of the story and Jonah is also in the Koran. He is told to go to Nineveh, which was thought of as the greatest city in the world at that time. To me, the most memorable thing is Jonah being swallowed by the whale. That was like a page and not much was made of that here.

What strikes me with this story is that Jonah tells Nineveh to change their evil ways and amazingly, the city does. They totally repent and God spares them. This upsets Jonah. He wanted them to be destroyed. I find that so interesting. To see a whole city repent that way from one prophet is pretty amazing. Can you imagine one person walking into New York and saying to repent and mend your evils ways and everyone putting on sack clothes and repenting? I can’t. Anyway, now the city is simply ruins.

This is a nice story of Jonah. It does make me wonder what ‘evil’ the people were doing. There is no definition of what it was. Was it slavery? How people treated one another? Idol worship? This story did not elaborate. You can’t change behavior if you are only guessing at what is being done wrong. Who knows?

The kids knew this story from Sunday School and it’s still a popular one. The niece gave this 4 stars. It was pretty gross inside the fish and she thought that would be terrible. The nephew gave this 4 stars and he thought it would be cool to ride around the ocean inside a fish. I said, I bet it stank.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fun pictures for a well-known story.

Ages: 4 - 9

Here’s my carefully curated Bible stories list: watch my reel!

Content Considerations: nothing to note.

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[Shanna Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Spier has again brought us an enthralling rendition of a beloved Bible story. Unlike his wordless Noah's Ark, this book includes text that closely parallels the biblical story, but the intricate detail and visual drama are interesting enough to keep pre-readers engaged long after the story has been read aloud. For older readers, there is a postscript containing a fair bit of historical background, maps and archaelogical information about the historical Nineveh.

The book has been reprinted with a paraphrased text, and according to a helpful Amazon reviewer, the reprinted version is of inferior quality. It's probably best to play it safe and stick with the original version, which is available in public libraries and the used book market.

[Franci · Rating 3 out of 5]

Goeie oorvertelling van die bekende Bybelstorie.

Was nie so mal oor die waterverf illustrasies nie.

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not only the story, but the story behind the story. Four final pages with maps, diagrams of a Phoenician ship, and a sample of cuneiform, not to forget a great deal of fine-print with details on history and archaeology.

[Whole And · Rating 3 out of 5]

Excellent retelling of Jonah and the whale. Some older language used as well as a few conceptual gaps that would need to be discussed and filled in but overall rich, expressive and engaging illustrations tell a large part of the story visually.

There is so much to touch on from this retelling such as our fears that can come up just as Jonah's did when God instructed him to go to Nineveh as we may be guided. The invisible yet palpable power and force of God to continue to direct us and the mercy God demonstrates on sincere humility. These are only a few points that can be drawn out to impart values and virtues that are important for a young mind to grasp.

We read this book several times, at the request of my five year old.

[Margaret Chind · Rating 5 out of 5]

I want this book! We have a handful of Peter Spier books around here, and love them all. Noah's Ark is one that we read again and again, and the kids just sit and stare at the illustrations and limited words for hours. They just soak in the story. I believe that The Book of Jonah will be along the same lines for their benefit. In my opinion it's beautiful and I'm loving these Spier reprints!

I read a digital arc and definitely plan to get a physical copy for our shelves.

[Andrea M · Rating 5 out of 5]

With some of the obscure details of the story included, this picture book is a great one for bringing the biblical story to life. It also includes archaeological information on Ninevah and Tarshish, cities in the story. I really liked Peter Spier's illustrations because they are both comical and believable. He has a great black-line style that is unpretentious. Families who base their values on the Bible ought to encourage their children to read and remember the stories found there and to rely on its principles when making choices. Worth buying!

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spier’s signature detailed pen& ink and watercolor illustrations bring the biblical tale to life, but it is his more restrained illustrations – Jonah in the desert, or a ship on a calm moonlit sea- that make the viewer pause and notice Spier’s mastery of the picture book. This welcome reprint of the 1985 classic features and updated appendix relating the history of and damage to the ancient site of Ninevah and Jonah’s tomb as a result of the conflict in Iraq. Highly Recommended for all libraries.

[Sasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're gonna read Moby-Dick, read this and Coleridge's Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner first. It's not like it takes super long or anything.

(I did not actually read this children's illustrated version...this is just the only book that's only the story of Jonah that I could find. I read the King James version.)

[Beth · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully illustrated story book that gives way more information about Jonah's story than most children's books. There even historical information in the back of the book that includes a map of Assyria, a map of Nineveh, and information on the type of ship Jonah was on.

[David Goetz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Peter Spier's illustrations are amazing, as always. The painting of the ship riding a calm sea after Jonah is thrown overboard is exceptionally beautiful. And the text is pleasing and faithful to Scripture.

[Claire · Rating 5 out of 5]

We love Peter Spier. He has to be one of the best author/illustrators for young kids.

[Christine · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not really a fan of this Bible story, but Peter Spier's illustrations are, as usual, absolutely amazing. He is one of my very favorite illustrators.

[Edward Sullivan · Rating 4 out of 5]

A reissue of Spier's richly illustrated version of the Old Testament story. Originally published in 1985.

[Colette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Colorful, historical, and well researched Book of Jonah suited for elementary aged children.

[Danette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really fantastic illustrations.

7/25/21 Read with Naomi & Julia.
3/2/21 Read with Julia
2/11/24 Read with my preschool class

[SKP · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was a children’s librarian for 35 years before retiring, and I attended library school in the pre-Internet era. During my time there, I actually did a report on Peter Spier for a class in the study of illustration of children’s books. I love his very detailed artwork, though it is not as effective for a large group storytime as it would be for a parent to read to their own children. At the beginning of my career, he was still pretty hot, although of course he is not as popular nowadays. I couldn’t use the books with religious themes in a public library, but I am sure I recommended them to parents. This one is a really good version to use to tell the story of Jonah to smaller children. I enjoyed reading it in my retirement.

[Charlie Moses · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling - mostly without words - of the biblical story of Jonah and the Whale. And the artwork, of course, is marvelous. Spier is a genius at what he does. This story isn't nearly as enjoyable, however, as his book Noah's Ark, in which the pictures tell you everything you ever thought to wonder about this story, and probably more, and bless him for his curiosity and imagination. Noah's Ark is just better, and it's terrific to read...okay, "read" to a child (you read it by explaining what you see in the pictures, adding in the subtext.)

[Michelle Vaughn · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought there'd be more about life inside the fish. The illustrations and language gave me flashbacks to Bible tracts from childhood. The historical context provided at the end of the book was more compelling than the story itself. But, Christian mythology is always kind of a bore to me. So much of God yelling at one specific dude, when he could just, like, yell at everyone. Why be subtle if you're God?

[Andrea Engle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Just in time for Yom Kippur tomorrow [October 2, 2025], Peter Spier’s interpretation of “The Book of Jonah” is right on target … lushly illustrated, this children’s book brings home the every-day quality of this timeless tale, told in easy to read prose … sure to be a favorite with the younger set … absolutely stellar …

[Thencasti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this to my son as it is one of my favorite Bible stories and I was surprised to find the part towards the end when Jonah gets pissed off. Most children’s books avoid this reaction from Jonah or don’t include it. I love the illustrations. They are beautiful. I wish I had this book, actually.

[Anthony · Rating 3 out of 5]

A retelling of the Hebrew story of Jonah. This book contains maps of the area traveled by Jonah, the Assyrian Empire during the 8th century B.C., and the history of the city of Nineveh, and the Kings who ruled in the Assyrian and Babylonian civilizations.

[Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book is a must-have for any Sunday School classroom. Very neat bible story in picture book format.

[Colin · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a beautifully illustrated and thought-provoking take on the classic Bible story.

[Edna Gonzalez · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great Jonah book that illustrates what the Bible says about Jonah. I enjoyed the illustrations very much. Seemed very real to me. Jonah is a man who was called from God to preach his word of repentance. God sent him to a city where he did not want to go. Due to his disobedience, he was eaten by a huge fish. He pleaded God for forgiveness and God forgave him. He then came out of the fish's mouth and went to preach to the city. It reminds me of when my children be disobedient at times so what I do is punish them. Later they come all teary for forgiveness and I forgive them because I love them. Then, my children end up doing what I had told them to do at the beginning.

[Stephanie Tournas · Rating 5 out of 5]

The gorgeous illustrations can take many minutes to completely absorb, for readers and non-readers alike. This reissue has an extensive reference section, covering the history and geography of Jonah's voyage, with maps of the ancient Assyrian Empire and a detailed diagram of the ship. Also included is the status of the ruins of Nineveh in present-day Iraq.

Obviously, the religious aspect will not appeal to all readers; however, it is great historical adventure for kids who like the historical fiction of Marcia Williams or Richard Platt.

[Tasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well done book, lots of small pictures but probably too much for preschoolers. I would use this maybe starting 1st/2nd grade. Would be really good for kids up to 6th grade. Not sure the illustrations are the best, it's very busy but there are plenty of them.

[Michelle's Book · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was given an ARC in exchange for my honest opinion. This book cover is on my Pinterest board and my blog, Michelle Dragalin’s Journey.