The Beautiful World That God Made - Softcover

Greene, Rhonda Gowler

Softcover

ISBN 10: 080285267X ISBN 13: 9780802852670

Publisher: Eerdmans Pub Co, 2004

Synopsis

A retelling of the Creation story, in which various features of the Earth and its inhabitants are praised for their beauty, splendor, and role in the beginning of the world.

About this title

From School Library Journal:

reSchool-Grade 3-The creation story from Genesis is retold in skillfully rhymed poetry filled with lovely images. Although not strictly cumulative, it has elements of repetition and rhythms resembling the familiar "This Is the House That Jack Built." From the light; the firmament; the land and seas; the flora and fauna; and the sun, moon, and stars, creation culminates in man and woman. Then God rests, and the poem and pictures circle back to the beginning light. The stages of creation are illustrated in bright spreads of folk-style art. The figures are flat, but the swirling, whirling patterns of form, color, and intricate detailing are arresting and sophisticated. The golden sunburst of light, the star-filled cobalt skies, the multicolored fish swarming in turquoise waters, the circle of exotic animals, and the exciting abstract designs all reflect the majesty and wonder of the Earth. Interestingly, the man and woman are shown fully dressed. The flowing, expressive verses read aloud exceptionally well, and with its large, handsome format, this is a fresh, creative treatment of creation.
Patricia Pearl Dole, formerly at First Presbyterian School, Martinsville, VA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From Publishers Weekly:

Radiant, childlike collages fairly exude joy in this eye-catching version of the Creation story. The text, as in Greene's The Stable Where Jesus Was Born, consists of modified cumulative rhymes not all phrases reappear in predictable order, but stable rhythm and judicious use of repetition create a stately structure: "This is the heaven, so skillfully framed,/ a glorious firmament God breathed and named,/ that glowed in the light, brilliant and bright." Wilson's (A Gift for the Christ Child) illustrations turn these agreeable verses into cause for celebration. Rendering her work with what the publisher identifies as printing inks and collaged papers, the artist uses strong color fields to suggest that "brilliant and bright" light; her first spread shows the blue-green planet Earth encircled in tropical blues and oranges. As the text introduces each aspect of Creation, the pictures grow more detailed and incorporate a rich variety of patterns. At the same time, a carefully maintained na‹ve perspective and bold, streamlined compositions give even Wilson's most complex illustrations a seemingly effortless immediacy. Beautiful indeed. Ages 3-8.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Eerdmans Pub Co
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 080285267X
• ISBN 13: 9780802852670
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Wilson Anne