Customer Reviews

Remaking the Earth: A Creation from the Great Plains of North America

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The key point of Paul Goble's "Remaking the Earth: A Creation Story from the Great Plains of North America," is that for the Indian peoples creation is something that is going on all the time. The story begins a long time ago where there was another world like our own, but then the mountains crumbled and water covered up everything. The only living things left were the fishes in the water and the ducks and other animals that lived there at well. Then all beseeched the Earth Maker, the Creator/Great Spirit/God, to give them back land where they could rest and have a place to lay their eggs. Where this story becomes unique from other creation stories that I have heard is that the Earth Maker needs help in creating a new world. For example, he needs mud to make land and needs an animal to bring some. This the coot does because the mallard duck went looking without success (in fact, they are still searching). One by one the other animals become part of the act of creation, and we find out why North America is called "Turtle Island."

As the story continues the Earth Maker creates the mountains and the plains, has the mighty Thunderbirds fighting the giant monsters in the rivers, and opens up his robe so that the Earth is repopulated with birds and animals of every type (and we find out why the Buffalo are so plentiful). All that is left is for Earth Maker to make two-legged beings and give them all he has made. The first man and the first woman, along with their descendants, have to deal with the Buffalo, and then are given the gift of Horses. The story ends with Earth Maker's words that only the Earth remains forever, and that Bull Buffalo getting old. He only has one left left and almost no hair, and when he dies "the mountains will break apart and the waters will flood in once again...and then the Earth Maker will make another world."

This is the largest book I have seen to date written and illustrated by Paul Goble, and with the painting of Grandmother Turtle he certainly tries to come up with something bigger. Of course this makes it even better for reading aloud to younger children. The story itself comes from various creation stories, using the Algonquin creation myth of the "Earth Diver" to provide the basic narrative structure. One of the interesting things Goble speaks about is how he had to filter out the influence of Christian missionaries who had made the ancient creation stories more compatible with the Book of Genesis (Those would be interesting to see, and if you work your way through the references that Goble provides you can probably find them).

In his author's note at the start of the book Goble points out that the Earth Maker is not illustrated as a person because there is no precedent for that sort of personification in Native American art. This underscores that while the creation story Goble tells can stand on its own, you always want to check out the background information that he provides. Once young students are exposed to the story they can compare and contrast this creation story with others they have heard and to discuss what the difference the differences make. This is a great way of introducing young students to how cultural differences are infused into the stories told and passed down by a society. I do this all the time with Genesis and the creation myths of the ancient Greeks and Romans, so I know it can be done with any combination of similar stories. It is never too early to introduce young students to the joys of analog criticism.

I was quite surprised when this book arrived. The book is like brand new and arrived in a timely manner.

I so wanted to like this book. We have been reading about different cultures and beliefs lately and this tale of creation seemed like it would fit in very well. Unfortunately it didn't make for a very good read-aloud (my children are 4 and 6); and consequently wasn't very popular.

I tried reading it for my own enjoyment, being interesting in such matters, but can't really give it a thumbs up for adult reading either. Verbiage just sort of lays there and is not as inspired as the artwork nor the tale.

Two Stars. [D+]. Interesting artwork. Bad Read-aloud. Interesting story - if it were only told in more pleasing form. There is much here that parallels the Judeo-Christian stories of creation and flood.