The Creation - Softcover

Johnson, James Weldon

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0823412075 ISBN 13: 9780823412075

Publisher: Holiday House, 1995

Synopsis

A poem based on the story of creation from the first book of the Bible.

About this title

Review:

This illustrated edition of Johnson's 1919 poem, which won the 1995 Coretta Scott King Award, brings the story of Creation down to earth and into the grasp of young children. Alternating with the poetry are richly expressive double-page spreads and attractive border elements that feature animal motifs and scenes from The Beginning--light, earth, water, plants, animals and lastly, a ruddy, clay-colored human rising out of a field of flowers. An illustrated sub-plot of an animated storyteller relating the Creation story before a group of enthralled children relieves the poem its relative predictability and offers a friendly stand-in for the role of God. It also hints at the importance of human participation, itself sacred and timeless.

About the Author:

JAMES WELDON JOHNSON (1871–1938) was a songwriter, poet, novelist, journalist, critic, autobiographer, lawyer, and public servant. With his brother John Rosamond, he wrote “Lift Every Voice and Sing,” which became the African American national anthem. He was United States consul to Venezuela and Nicaragua, executive director of the NAACP, and a professor of creative literature at Fisk University. His many books include The Autobiography of an Ex-Colored Man.

About this edition

• Publisher: Holiday House
• Publication date: 1995
• ISBN 10: 0823412075
• ISBN 13: 9780823412075
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 32
• Illustrator: Ransome James E.