Creation [Hardcover]

Gerald McDermott (Author, Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 27, 2003 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

In the beginning there was nothing, only darkness. Then came light, water, earth, sun, moon, and stars. Creatures swam in the sea, crawled in the grass, and moved over the land. Man and Woman were created to be the keepers of this beauty. All this was a gift to them. Rich in color, shapes, and textures, Gerald McDermott's meditation on the creation story from Genesis is a gift to readers of all ages. Parents, educators, and art collectors will welcome this glorious celebration of the creative spirit and of life itself.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up-McDermott casts the story of creation in strong poetic text and sweeping vibrant views. A nebulous, cometlike swirl fills the black opening vista. "I was before time. I was everywhere. There was nothing. I was there." Dramatic shifts of somber color mark the first few abstract scenes. Then they burst into deep tones of orange, blue, green, and brown against black as life-forms fill the void. The use of gesso on fabric lends a rich texture to the bold compositions. The circular dimensions of Earth, Sun, and Moon are echoed in the rolling sweep of heavens, seasons, and great bands of animal life-soaring birds and the creatures swimming in the sea, crawling in the grass, and moving over the land. Then, in spare form, man and woman face a rainbow arc and the Sun. "I gave my gifts to them. They would be the keepers of all this beauty." In a summation, the creatures swirl again around the small, dancing figures of the woman and man filling an earthen ball. Finally, an embryonic figure in a small orange orb announces emphatically, "I am all this. All this I AM." Sumptuous, rhythmic, and mystical, this book is arresting and evocative. Each page commands and absorbs readers' attention, though the large, square volume, once opened, is somewhat awkward to handle. An author's note makes broad reference to Eastern and European religious traditions as well as the Hebrew Bible. Readers of many ages and philosophical persuasions will find much to savor in this universal episode.
Margaret Bush, Simmons College, Boston
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

PreS-Gr. 2. Lately occupied with trickster tales from around the world, author-illustrator McDermott here tells of the first and greatest sleight of hand, the creation of the universe. Drawing on Genesis 1:1 through 2:3 of the Hebrew Bible, as he says in an author's note, "with an eye towards its antecedents in the Near East," McDermott uses the rich textures of his gesso-and-fabric paintings and a suitably wide color spectrum (with a Mexican tint) to make this grand abstraction come alive. Swirling with activity, the book will appeal to young readers and listeners who like to think big. As the narrator puts it at the start, "I was before time. I was everywhere. There was nothing. I was there." Darkness progresses to light to water to the earth and all its life. There are few surprises here, but McDermott's paintings are gorgeous, particularly one in which the first bit of land emerges, a fertile island mound covered with trees, grasses, and flowers. The image, smaller and slightly altered on several subsequent spreads, becomes the basis for McDermott's colorful parade of birds and beasts that emerge in glorious colors. "I am all this. / All this I AM" is a powerful, fitting end. Abby Nolan
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Dutton Juvenile; 1 edition (October 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0525469052
• ISBN-13: 978-0525469056
• Product Dimensions: 11.5 x 11.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #535,499 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The opposite of war isn't peace. It's Creation., March 27, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creation (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Amazing, February 1, 2006

By 

Chris W. Kientz - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Creation (Hardcover)

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.

4 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars for older children, January 19, 2005

By 

Paula (Cordova,TN) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Creation (Hardcover)

I bought this to put in my sunday school class but the concept of God the spirit is a more advanced than my 4 year olds understand. I suggest this one for older 5's or 6's. The pictures are fabulous!