One Day in Paradise

Bible stories must be the hardest stories of all to illustrate. There are so many dreadful ones Ã` either too cute or much too bloody and war-like to be appropriate for small children. It's sad how many publishers seem to believe that parents will accept any cheap and ugly illustrations just because it is the Bible. Personally, I think the fact that you are illustrating the Bible gives you an even greater responsibility to offer children something beautiful, something they can truly and deeply love.I truly and deeply love this book. In just a few sentences, Helme Heine tells the Biblical story of Creation. But it is the illustrations that make it a treasure. His watercolors are gentle, peaceful images of jungles and plains, icebergs and waterfalls, and all the creatures of the earth. But best of all is his portrait of God as a creator with a Santa Claus-like beard, a gentle, intelligent face and mud all over his jacket from all his hard work. He's an artist, a sculptor, a gardener, a scientist, a tinkerer, and a thinker. My favorite picture in the book is of God gazing lovingly out his window at Adam and Eve (who look like they are four or five years old) as they play a game of chase. It is such a wonderful image of God I can't imagine any child not loving the image they find in this book.This is one of the very best Bible stories for children I have ever seen.