Creation

Booklist

'There is much to admire in [Gennady] Spirin's devout treatment of the opening verses of the Bible. Elegant watercolor images begin as simple compositions and become increasingly complex as the familiar story develops. Spirin trims the pictures to arcs and semicircles, echoing the earth's own roundness. Deliberately painterly in their style, the grand images recall the work of Renaissance masters, polished with a contemporary Russian sensibility, and their figures -- angels, God, Adam and Eve -- are accordingly beautiful....[A]s a lovely interpretation of the verses, this is a version that many families will treasure.' -- Booklist

School Library Journal

PreS Up- These beautifully illustrated volumes interpret well-known passages from the Holy Bible: New International Version. Moser sets Psalm 23 in the Caribbean. The herder, a cheerful island boy, watches over his flocks of sheep and goats in pastoral island settings; the luminous watercolors, which feature carefully placed symbols of the Holy Trinity such as doves and butterflies, evoke the same feelings of peace and serenity inspired by the words of the beloved poem. In Creation, Spirin's elegant watercolors enhance the sense of grandeur inherent in God's momentous accomplishment. Each spread is dedicated to one day, beginning with the creation of "the heavens and the earth" and concluding with the seventh day of rest. The jewel-toned paintings are framed within half circles or domed rectangles that resemble church windows. The detailed opulence of the illustrations brings to mind the pageantry and splendor of the Renaissance era. The portrait of Eve crowning Adam with a wreath of flowers in the garden is especially lovely. Each title includes a letter from the artist reflecting on his relationship with the verses. Both of these selections would be fine additions to most collections.-Linda L. Walkins, Mount Saint Joseph Academy, Brighton, MA

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Kirkus Reviews

Spirin continues his recent exploration of biblical themes with this attractive interpretation of the creation story. The volume's striking cover shows the earth in concentric layers of animals and plants, surrounding Adam and Eve at the center. Spirin's immediately recognizable watercolor illustrations are full of intricate details and delicate patterned elements, with each illustration formatted as a half circle or arched shape suggesting a stained-glass window. Throughout the work Spirin uses the unifying design element of small angel faces surrounded by multiple sets of patterned wings, with a different pair of angels on each page. Similar wings are seen in several illustrations of God, interpreted by Spirin as a mysterious and changing figure with human characteristics. God is depicted at first as an angelic spirit and then as a human figure with a rather scary face of white light and a long, white beard. There is no indication in the text or jacket flap copy that the creation story is from the beginning of the Book of Genesis in the Old Testament, simply that it comes from the Bible. (artist's note, publisher's note) (Religion. 4-8)