Light: The First Seven Days - Hardcover

Waldman, Sarah

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0152208704 ISBN 13: 9780152208707

Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books, 1993

Synopsis

A dramatic recreation of the biblical story of the first seven days of the world uses a simple text and colorful mosaic illustrations to capture the beauty of Genesis.

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PreSchool-Grade 3-- A simplified retelling of the first 34 lines of Genesis. While Waldman retains the essential elements, she omits the traditional reiteration of "good" on every day of creation and the "Spirit of God" moving over the face of the waters. The text appears in large white type on black pages opposite luminous, highly stylized, linear paintings that resemble a cross between mosaic and stained glass. The acrylic palette is vibrant: near-neon tones glow on earth and sky, and even the formless void has touches of teal at the center of its dark blue swirling mass. The first humans are clearly not Nordic blondes, but multicolored multiethnics, with nonnaturalistic skin tones (Adam has a blue face, Eve's is orange) and composite features. The carefully defined, glimmering colors are striking against their dark background, and suit the book's title. The drama and simplicity of this Creation give Light a sophisticated appeal, entirely different from Jane Ray's much warmer and more complex The Story of the Creation (Dutton, 1993). --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Celebrated illustrator Waldman (creator of the stylish covers of several Gary Paulsen novels in addition to his own interpretation of The Highwayman ) teams up with his teenage daughter for this straightforward retelling of the Creation story from Genesis. The text, which retains familiar biblical cadences, is set in large white type, contrasting boldly with the succession of blue-black pages. Likewise, the bright bands of color decorating the letters of the title on the jacket seem ready to burst out of the darkness that contains them. Waldman's vibrant acrylics achieve a mosaic effect with daubs of green, blue and purple in various hues. Streaks of pink and orange are incorporated into the art as the text progresses; similarly, the margins framing the art lighten from black to a serene blue-gray. Waldman depicts the first day as a swirl of primarily dark brush strokes against a pitch-black background, while the seventh day features a full-color landscape populated by all forms of life. An afterword informs readers that "although there are differences, Judaism, Christianity and Islam share the underlying concept of this creation story." The carefully crafted design elements effectively underscore the significance of the event portrayed. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The illustrator's daughter, 13, stays close to the text as it appears in Genesis, varying repetitions a bit (``It was all very good'') and ad-libbing some embellishments (``the softer light of the moon would shine through the nights, with the help of twinkling stars''); she also adds a ``Storyteller's Note'' on the creation story as a reminder ``to take care of our beautiful planet.'' The text, white on black in an elegant face, makes a stylish foil for art in luminous stained-glass hues, artfully composed of mosaic-like passages of dabs of color, larger areas in solid tones, decorative grace notes, and stylized figures- -e.g., an extraordinary portrait of Adam and Eve, where Waldman's freewheelingly unrealistic use of brilliant color is particularly striking. (But should Adam have an Adam's apple before the Fall?) A joyous use of contemporary graphics to retell the first story. (Picture book. 3+) -- Copyright ©1993, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.

Edition details

• Publisher: Harcourt Childrens Books
• Publication date: 1993
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0152208704
• ISBN 13: 9780152208707
• Binding: Hardcover
• Illustrator: Waldman Neil
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 32