Creation
Grade 3 Up-McDermott casts the story of creation in strong poetic text and sweeping vibrant views. A nebulous, cometlike swirl fills the black opening vista. "I was before time. I was everywhere. There was nothing. I was there." Dramatic shifts of somber color mark the first few abstract scenes. Then they burst into deep tones of orange, blue, green, and brown against black as life-forms fill the void. The use of gesso on fabric lends a rich texture to the bold compositions. The circular dimensions of Earth, Sun, and Moon are echoed in the rolling sweep of heavens, seasons, and great bands of animal life-soaring birds and the creatures swimming in the sea, crawling in the grass, and moving over the land. Then, in spare form, man and woman face a rainbow arc and the Sun. "I gave my gifts to them. They would be the keepers of all this beauty." In a summation, the creatures swirl again around the small, dancing figures of the woman and man filling an earthen ball. Finally, an embryonic figure in a small orange orb announces emphatically, "I am all this. All this I AM." Sumptuous, rhythmic, and mystical, this book is arresting and evocative. Each page commands and absorbs readers' attention, though the large, square volume, once opened, is somewhat awkward to handle. An author's note makes broad reference to Eastern and European religious traditions as well as the Hebrew Bible. Readers of many ages and philosophical persuasions will find much to savor in this universal episode.Margaret Bush, Simmons College, BostonCopyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.