Four Corners of the Sky: Creation Stories and Cosmologies from Around the World - Hardcover

Zeitlin, Steve

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0805048162 ISBN 13: 9780805048162

Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR), 2000

Synopsis

What is the universe? How did it get that way? Here are thought-provoking answers from throughout history and around the world.

"In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth." -King James Bible

"In the beginning, before men, before the Gods, all was chaos." -Greek myth

Folklorist Steve Zeitlin gives answers to the questions everyone asks about the nature of the universe: What is it? Where did it come from? Will it end? A picture of the universe is a cosmology, and every culture has its own. People build these stories from the world around them. The ancient Egyptians who saw the Nile flood yearly told stories of gods who rise, die, and are reborn. The Maori living on the wind and sea-battered island of New Zealand tell of sea, land, and sky gods in eternal combat.

Readers will discover the Iroquois who pictured the world on a turtle's back; the Southeast Asians who described the world as a flat disc held up by three elephants; even Genesis and the Big Bang theories are included. Zeitlin retells each myth, legend, folktale or theory as a story filled with wonder and imagination.

Now every child who tries to build a picture of the universe will see how he or she fits in the grand tradition of human thought and imagination.

About this title

About the Author

Steve Zeitlin co-authored While Standing On One Foot and The Cow of No Color. He is the director of City Lore, which documents and presents the living cultural heritage of New York City.

Chris Raschka is the Caldecott Honor illustrator of Yo! Yes! and other highly praised books, including Simple Gifts. He lives in New York City with his wife and son.

From Booklist

Gr. 7-12. "No culture is content just to see and describe its universe--we always want to learn where it came from and where it is going," says the author in his thoughtful introduction to this collection of world cosmologies. Grouped according to common theme ("Between Two Parents, Earth and Sky," "Cycles of Creation and Destruction," etc.), the selections represent a wide range of both ancient and modern cultures and religions: Greek, Maori, Egyptian, Norse, Hindu, Jain, Iroquois, Chinese, and Haitian, as well as an excerpt from the Book of Genesis and a highly readable introduction to the big bang theory. Zeitlin introduces each entry with cultural and historical background, written, like the myths themselves, in powerful, straightforward language that brings a concise simplicity to such broad, abstract concepts. Chris Raschka's stylish, culture-specific graphic designs enliven the text without literally translating the stories. A conclusion calling for tolerance across cultures and extensive source notes round out this intriguing volume that will find wide curricular support. Gillian Engberg
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

Edition details

• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR)
• Publication date: 2000
• ISBN 10: 0805048162
• ISBN 13: 9780805048162
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 144
• Illustrator: Raschka Chris