Ruth

True to its title, Chronicles of Faith: Ruth, written by Kjersti Hoff Baez, chronicles the life of Ruth, a well-known character from the Bible. It's a fictionalized story of her journey with her mother-in-law, Naomi as they leave Ruth's homeland in Moab and travel to Bethlehem, Naomi's homeland. The account ends with the birth of Ruth's son to her new husband, Boaz. The author takes liberties with the telling of Naomi and Ruth's journey from Moab to Bethlehem as this is not chronicled in the Bible. However, the extra story line adds some depth to the tale and gives the reader a greater understanding of what the journey might have been like for the two women. The author's account of the events after Naomi and Ruth reach their new home are faithful to the Biblical version. Even though this is a chapter book, pencil illustrations by Al Bohl are scattered throughout the text. The drawings are expressive and serve to emphasize certain parts of the story. What I Like: I like biographies, especially ones of Bible characters. It makes the people seem more real, more true-to-life, and puts their stories into Biblical and historical perspective. This one does just that. What I Dislike: There are a lot of layout problems with the text in this book, i.e., paragraphs that aren't indented, lines not going from one end of the page to the other, etc. Overall Rating: Good. Age Appeal: 9-12. Christine M. Irvin - Christian Children's Book Review