Creation

Put aside for a moment any cultural baggage and simply see this book for what it is; a beautiful combination of a simple yet affecting text and intense, nearly abstract combinations of color and form. My 18 month old daughter picks up this book again and again just to be absorbed by the imagery. Highly recommended.

Open "Creation" to the first full-page double spread. It is the rare children's book that instantly greets you with a pure black page. The word CREATION stands out like granite against the dark. Reading through the story, author Gerald McDermott has drawn this telling primarily from Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 of the Hebrew Bible. Mentioning this in an opening author's note he goes on to explain how he used handmade mulberry-bark paper to create the beautifully colored papers found within. The book is an unapologetic recreation of the Creation story, told in the Judeo-Christian tradition. The narration is from the point of view of God, it seems. The opening reads, "I was before time. I was everywhere. There was nothing. I was there. My spirit moved over the deep. I floated in darkness". The text by and large continues in this vein. The narrator separates light from darkness and out of the sea brings forth the earth. In the end, man and woman are created and the final parting shot is of a single human baby floating in a circle of red with the words, "I am all this. All this I am". There is no fall in this picture book. No serpent and no tree of life. As such, it is a surprisingly satisfying retelling.The text is good, yes yes. But the pictures... oh the pictures. My gut reaction is something along the lines of, "McDermott wuz ROBBED of a Caldecott. Robbed I sayz!". This is an incredibly lovely concoction. Colorful doesn't even begin to describe it. From the deep greens and blues of the seas brimming with creatures to the bright and colorful birds of the sky, one is easily blown away by the depth of the artwork. Those parents uncomfortable with reading a Christian based story to their little ones, take heart. You could easily show how this book is a tight encapsulation of evolution as well. McDermott has this to say of his book: "As in all of my work, Creation is an outer expression of the inner reality that connects every human soul". Enough said.

Superbly written and impressively illustrated by Gerald McDermott, Creation dramatically portrays the creation story of the Genesis text of the Bible. The sweeping power of dark colors against black add a vivid and unforgettable touch to the simple words of Genesis related verbatim. Creation is very highly recommended for reading by or with young children within the Judeao-Christian biblical tradition.