East of India Little Noah’s Ark Set in Box This beautifully crafted boxed set consists of a wooden box containing a miniature Noah’s Ark and the carved animals that go with it. The Ark is painted in mellow cream with ochre accents. It has a deep, curved hull, on top of which sits a little house for a cabin, with carved doors and windows and a steeply pitched roof. A tiny ladder is supplied for access. The wooden box which accompanies the ark is painted in matching soft tones of cream and ochre, the lid fits snugly and has a pattern of pale polka dots and a cream-painted plaque, which is carved with the words  Noah’s Ark . The lid lifts off to reveal a partitioned interior, containing the Ark, various pairs of animals including elephants, giraffes, crocodiles and cows, and, of course, Noah and his wife. Each item is tiny, the giraffes are only 5.5cm high, the Ark just over 6cm. All the pieces are delicately painted in soft shades of cream, ochre, grey, blue and green. This set would be a wonderful christening or naming gift, but it should be played with under supervision as it is a piece of craftwork with some small pieces and not intended as a toy. Almost every culture has a flood myth, from the Mesopotamian epic of  Gilgamesh  through Hindu mythology which is very similar to the Biblical Genesis , and  Bergelmir  of Norse folklore. It seems likely that these myths arose due to real cataclysmic events following rises in sea level after the last Ice Age or Tsunamis resulting from meteor strikes and high levels of rainfall because of climate change. Whatever their origin, the ingenuity and tenacity of mankind in surviving these events is commemorated by the inspirational story of Noah’s Ark, which is frequently retold to this day, not only in a religious context but also in popular culture via film and TV.