And There Was Evening, and There Was Morning

Zager and Helfand tell the creation story from the book of Genesis in the Torah. Rhyming couplets describe the acts of creation throughout six days, beginning with words set against pitch darkness: “The world began when God said ‘light,’/ And changed the world from dark to bright./ Dark in the night and light in the day,/ Our beautiful world was underway.” Zager’s dynamic illustrations utilize Hebrew letters (as well as some English letters, punctuation marks, and shapes) to create the objects appearing in each scene—they form the sun, moon, and stars created by God on the fourth day, and the shapes of bears, horses, and lions on the sixth day. Zager brings uncommon artistry to the proverbial story, inviting readers to peer more closely. Ages 3–8.[em] (Oct.) [/em]