Tales of the Early World - Hardcover

Hughes, Ted

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0374373779 ISBN 13: 9780374373771

Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux, 1991

Synopsis

In these ten creation tales by England's Poet Laureate, Gold is sometimes surprised by what he creates. "Some things take an awful lot of work. But others--they just seem to turn up." These remarkable stories, splendidly illustrated by David Frampton, show a sparkling, unpredictable imagination.

About this title

From School Library Journal

Grade 3 Up-- Hughes's stories result from imagination playing at the edges and in the gaps of Biblical narrative. There is a touch of "Just-so" etiology, and even an allusion to a famous Zen koan (the man who dreams he is a butterfly). Creation is the subject of each tale, but the creator God is hardly omniscient and far from omnipotent. He works obsessively but doesn't always get it right, gets frustrated and cross, is perplexed and surprised by bits of creation that "just seem to turn up." He has considerable trouble bringing Woman to life, and the advent of the flea baffles and terrifies him. When God tries to make a Dancer, he first produces Cat; then, on a second try, Mouse (hence, their rivalry). When Woman wants a playmate, God comes up with the uncontrollable Gorilla, so Woman helps God imagine the perfect playmate--Horse. The unpredictability of creation is as much a part of the poetry of this book as the lively, precise language. There are also Davidson's stylish, Bewick-like engravings. These stories are not sweet or reverent, but buoyant and unexpected and utterly engaging. There is wisdom here, but it's not neat or trite; like the creative process Hughes depicts, you've got to work at it to get it. --Patricia Dooley, University of Washington, Seattle
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly

Like a cross between Kipling's Just So Stories and Twain's Letters to the Earth , these 10 original and imaginative creation tales by England's poet laureate will appeal to adults and children alike. Hughes's God spends considerable time trying to straighten out His mistakes. By accidentally breathing life into a miniature trunk made from leftover elephant clay, God fashions the earthworm. A half-done creature left unattended is saved by God's mother, who lends the turkey-footed bird a beautiful shawl, thus creating the peacock. Hughes's brave new world includes a fortune-telling moon that "was actually a smile without a face" and "lay on the sea's rim like a face on a pillow," mountains that dance, a black hole that consumes the songs of birds, and creatures that definitely have minds of their own. Davidson's engravings depict a multitude of animal life, and his striking black cover--adorned with the yellow eyes of creatures yet to be made--is perfect for a book of myths that sparkle with drama, humor, pathos and beauty. All ages.
Copyright 1991 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Farrar Straus & Giroux
• Publication date: 1991
• ISBN 10: 0374373779
• ISBN 13: 9780374373771
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 121
• Illustrator: Davidson Andrew