The Creation

From AwardAnnals

Reviews

Amazon.com

This illustrated edition of Johnson's 1919 poem, which won the 1995 Coretta Scott King Award, brings the story of Creation down to earth and into the grasp of young children. Alternating with the poetry are richly expressive double-page spreads and attractive border elements that feature animal motifs and scenes from The Beginning - light, earth, water, plants, animals and lastly, a ruddy, clay-colored human rising out of a field of flowers. An illustrated sub-plot of an animated storyteller relating the Creation story before a group of enthralled children relieves the poem its relative predictability and offers a friendly stand-in for the role of God. It also hints at the importance of human participation, itself sacred and timeless.