cover image The Story of the Creation

The Story of the Creation

Jane Ray. Dutton Books, $16 (32pp) ISBN 978-0-525-44946-1

In Ray's ( The Story of Christmas ; Noah's Ark ) latest picture book, sumptuous folk-art-inspired illustrations, embellished with glittering splashes of gold paint, help relate the story of the earth's beginnings. The majestic phraseology of the King James Bible provides a spiritually moving, though not overly sectarian text that offers an excellent introduction to creationism. Readers will delightedly pore over the various beasts, fish and fowl here, with fur, fins and feathers rendered elegantly and intricately. Handsomely designed page frames, along with frieze-like borders in tones of blue, red, green and sand add to the visual feast. Ray has once again demonstrated her mastery in treating her subject matter with the utmost reverence while creating a thoroughly accessible and artistically sophisticated work. All ages. (Jan.)