Creation

by Cynthia Rylant, Cynthia Rylant (Illustrator)

Overview

In the spirit of her acclaimed Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven, Newbery Medalist Cynthia Rylant illustrates the King James Bible creation story in a simple yet powerful folk art style.

Cynthia Rylant takes the familiar text of the creation story, as told in the King James Bible, and lovingly illustrates it in her simple but bold style that has been called “stunning” by School Library Journal. In striking illustrations reminiscent of folk art, Rylant has created a fresh take on a classic story that will appeal to readers of all ages.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781481470407
Publisher:	Beach Lane Books
Publication date:	09/20/2016
Sold by:	SIMON & SCHUSTER
Format:	eBook
Pages:	40
File size:	73 MB
Note:	This product may take a few minutes to download.
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

About the Author

Cynthia Rylant is the author of more than 100 books for young people, including the beloved Henry and Mudge, Annie and Snowball, Brownie & Pearl, and Mr. Putter & Tabby series. Her novel Missing May received the Newbery Medal. She lives in Lake Oswego, Oregon. Visit her at CynthiaRylant.com.

Editorial Reviews

06/27/2016
Rylant’s illustrations for a simplified version of the Genesis creation story, adapted from the King James Bible, recall those from her Dog Heaven and Cat Heaven—wet, thickly painted acrylics in which childlike forms appear against milky backgrounds. A featureless expanse of gray becomes yellow with the turn of a page as God says, “Let there be light.” God creates pale green grass and fruit trees daubed with bright color. When God makes man and woman, Rylant paints them as ash-gray figures standing apart from one another in a field, facing away from viewers and bathed in greenish light. In the penultimate spread, a friendly zebra gazes at a stand of trees bearing red and pink fruit. “He looked at everything he had created and made, and behold, it was very good.” It is the first image in which the created things are shown relating to one another, and the first in which warm feeling is expressed. The predominant impression is one of strange wondrousness as the world comes into being. All ages. Agent: Steven Malk, Writers House. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly

The creation story has been told many times for children, but Rylant’s version presents its wonder in the simplest of ways. The spare text is faithful to the biblical account of those first seven days, but it takes Genesis’ words and distills them to their purest forms, not only making the text suitable for a young audience but also showing children the clarity and precision with which God worked. The narrative also highlights images not easily recalled from the original text. Does the biblical passage really call out whales by name as one of God’s creations? It does, and the two page spread that shows an arc of gray sitting upon the water bears witness to that fact. Rylant, who has occasionally done her own illustrations in the past, offers artwork that is as bold as it is spare. Thick brush strokes turn into arresting skies, seas, and sand; layers of acrylic paint form unique colors that are perhaps yet to be named. Colorful dots on bits of green growing from a brown barbecome fruit trees, and a long, thin line, squiggling along the sand is a snake. As with the best stories, this allows room for readers to add to its creation with their own thoughts and imaginations. — Ilene Cooper

September 1 - STARRED REVIEW Booklist

Adapting Genesis from the King James Version of the Bible, Rylant gives children the creation story in digestible bites. The text is written in an unaffected font with sparse verbiage on each page. For example, ‘And there was light’ is given two full pages on a soft yellow background, showing a beginning planet on the left. Rylant’s acrylic wash backgrounds create the gentle lull of a rocking chair. Long brush strokes in pastels, accentuated by child-like illustrations of trees and animals, make the book accessible to the young. One can imagine a child looking at the pictures over and over and eventually wanting to imitate the paintings with his or her own crayons. Just as the Biblical poetry does, the paintings move from majestic to lovely. The great whale spouts while swimming on purple water; and when God decides that ‘it was very good,’ pretty trees with apple-like fruits stand in a world of blue, green, and orange while a zebra watches. It is a quiet creation, perfect for bedtime. Reviewer: Greta Holt; Ages 2 to 5.

Children's Literature - Greta Holt

09/01/2016
PreS-Gr 1—The content is exactly what the title implies. This is a picture book version of the creation story as told in Genesis. It has minimal text taken from the King James Bible. It begins with God separating the light and darkness and ends with the seventh day of rest. There is no additional text or information. Each simple, childlike acrylic painting corresponds directly to the text, but this version does not stand out in an already crowded field of excellent options. VERDICT A pleasing addition for fans of Rylant and church libraries looking for multiple versions of Bible tales.—Kris Hickey, Columbus Metropolitan Library, OH

School Library Journal

2016-05-18
The Creation story, interpreted with minimalist art.Rylant's text, looking as if hand-lettered and adapted from Chapters 1 and 2 of the book of Genesis from the King James Bible, emphasizes for the youngest readers and listeners how very basic yet how extraordinary this story simultaneously is. Her naïve acrylic paintings are charmingly innocent and appealing, readily capturing the salient points of each day's work, each rendered in a separate double-page spread. (Creationists should be pleased at the painting of a dinosaur to depict the creation of "the beasts.") Children who already know this story may enjoy seeing and hearing this latest version. Youngsters who are unfamiliar with the opening chapters of the book of Genesis may well wonder, after the final lines, just what happens next? Such queries should stimulate lively conversations. Brushstrokes are readily visible, often dominating compositions, as in the creation of Day and Night, in which darkness looks like a gray, feathered wing laid over the light. Depicted figures—the aforementioned dinosaur, birds, tortoises—have a pleasingly blobby look. This adaptation's low-key illustrations bring the story to a child's level; they will not satisfy those seeking to revel in its majesty. Child-friendliness substitutes for awe in this cozy rendition. (Picture book/religion. 3-7)

Kirkus Reviews