In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World

by Virginia Hamilton (Author) Barry Moser (Illustrator)

In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World
Reading Level: 6th − 7th Grade
The origin of the universe, and all that is in it, has always been cause for wonder. For thousands of years, people have made up stories in an attempt to explain the beginning of humankind, the earth, and the cosmos.

Beautifully told by Virginia Hamilton and splendidly illustrated by Barry Moser, "In The Beginning" is a collection of twenty-five creation myth stories that will engage and fascinate readers while introducing them to cultures around the world. Researched extensively by both author and illustrator, each story includes one or more illustrations - all stunning complements to the text. And each story is followed by author comments that tell about its origin.

The stories in this book reflect the wonderful range of the human imagination. In an Eskimo myth, for example, the first man pushes his way out of a pea pod. In a story from the Kono people of Guinea, death starts the world. A dramatic myth from China tells that the universe was originally in the shape of a hen's egg - and from this burst the first being.

To read the diverse beliefs of people around the world, both ancient and contemporary, broadens our understanding of others and strengthens our own spirituality. Intriguing, often humorous, and always fascinating, "In The Begining" is a memorable book for readers of all ages.

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$20.00

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Publishers Weekly

According to PW, "Moser's watercolors gleam like jewels amid the setting of the text. His people and creatures gaze out at readers, as if to challenge their imaginations to comprehend the chaos before creation." Ages 12-up. (Aug.)
Virginia Hamilton
Virginia Hamilton, the first Black to win a Newbery Medal and the first children's book author to be awarded a MacArthur Genius Grant, won the Coretta Scott King Award for The People Could Fly: American Black Folktales. She died in 2002 at the age of 66.

Leo and Diane Dillon, recepients of two Caldecott Medals, have illustrated five books by Virginia Hamilton, including the original black-and-white illustrations in The People Could Fly collection, Many Thousand Gone, and Her Stories. Leo and Diane Dillon live in Brooklyn, NY.
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9780152387426
Lexile Measure
700
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Clarion Books
Publication date
September 19, 1991
Series
-
BISAC categories
YAN047000 - Young Adult Nonfiction | Religion | General
YAN052030 - Young Adult Nonfiction | Folklore & Mythology
Library of Congress categories
Folklore
Creation
Mythology
Newbery Medal
Honor Book 1989 - 1989

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