The 10 Plagues According to Aidan

I don't often pay too much attention to the crafts my kids bring home from school, but today's golden nugget was too good to pass up. Aidan created a booklet, with each page detailing one of the Ten Plagues from the Book of Exodus in the Bible. I realized how much I truly love the way children draw, and today was no exception. I was roaring with laughter. Forget the NIV, NRSV, or even The Good Old King James ... I'm finding myself quite partial to this adorable version!

Like how he spelled "pepole." And Aaron by his side is looking quite chipper, for some reason. But the best part comes in the next photo, a close-up of my favorite character ...

I'm loving Pharaoh here, complete with funky hat and intertwined snakes! And clearly he's getting his point across ... those people ain't going nowhere!

A reoccurring theme which you shall see in the following pictures -- the afflicted person, with tongue hanging out for effect.

Here we go with the tongue again ... and apparently, in Aidan's version of the story, the Egyptians were beset upon by green tree frogs, and gigantic ones at that. How very specific ...

A particular favorite, where a Mad Libs character gets in on the act, scratching the head of his gnat-infested friend. No hanging tongues this time -- only gritted teeth.

When I asked Aidan why there was a giant fly on this man's head -- and if the Egyptians perhaps made hats out of them (you know, making lemonade with lemons, or fashionable head-wear from flies ...) he said that ("No, Mommy, don't be so silly!") it was a close-up of the kind of flies that were there. Oh. At least the tongue is hanging out ... although on second thought, better close that mouth to keep out the giant flies.

Apparently things got so bad in Egypt that even the tongues of their animals began to hang out.

Another personal favorite - good old boils (with tongue hanging out, of course). I like his experimentation with perspective here -- large arm in the foreground, etc. Perhaps we have an artist in the making here ...

I was a little confused by this picture -- this particular Egyptian needs to see a hair stylist. But the close-up explains it further ...

"He's saying 'hey'," explained Aidan, "As in, 'hey, something just hit me on the head!'"

Not bad at all ...

No explanation necessary -- just one of my all-time favorites. The Plague of Darkness -- "I can't see!"

It took me a minute to figure this one out. The "E" is pointing to the Egyptian, following a Shakespearean script of describing one's death as it is occurring.

Even such a tiny figure as this deserves the hanging tongue effect, despite the fact that it's almost as long as his entire body. Guess we lost that perspective here ...

Compare the poor "E" character to this oh-so-happy "I" -- or, the Israelite -- complete with his team's blue baseball cap, happily escaping the Angel of Death.

I am definitely keeping this work of art!