Megillat Esther, by J.T. Waldman.  Jewish Publication Society of America, 2006.  978-0827607880.

Summary:  The complete Hebrew text of the Book of Esther is accompanied by cartoon illustrations (with English word balloons and captions) in the style of period Persian artwork and calligraphy, along with interludes from other Jewish figures and the history of the holiday of Purim.

Analysis:  This is thoroughly excellent, though a little bit hard to follow in places as the eye chases the two scripts intermingling with the illustrations.  It brings to life a story that's already pretty exciting if you read it in a translation that doesn't bog it down in archaic language.  The key moment of layout awesomeness comes halfway through the story, as the narrative turns upside-down and our heroes are about to prevail after all -- for the first half of the book, you page it left-to-right.  The middle double-page spread spirals into chaos, then you turn the book upside-down and read the remaining half right-to-left, as in Hebrew.

Rating: 5Q/3P (This isn't going to be the sort of thing most students are going to just pick up, especially given its sort of unexciting cover, but if assigned to read it, I think many high schoolers will enjoy it.)

Curricular connections: Perfect for a 7-12th grade Hebrew school class or for a comparative religion high school class around Purim.

--SLH