Seventeen tales, from the Creation to Jonah, carefully chosen to demonstrate that ``God wants everyone to trust in Him,'' recounted in an easy, colloquial manner and recommended for reading ``with the Bible, and not instead of it.'' Waddell's simplifications are very accessible but not irreverent--God ``took one of Adam's ribs and made Eve from it, so that in an odd way they were one person''; ``It may have seemed simple enough to God who can do anything, but it was a huge job for poor Noah''; or, ```This boasting has got to stop!' Jacob told Joseph. `What kind of a dream is that?''' Problematic stories--Cain killing Abel, Abraham offering to sacrifice Isaac, Jacob cheating Esau or being tricked into marrying Leah, the plagues inflicted on Egypt- -are omitted, together with most of the violence and vengeance. Leaving out Benjamin's special relationship to Joseph weakens their story, but otherwise the selections make an appealingly informal introduction that reinforces Waddell's theme. Patterson's bold and colorful illustrations contribute handsomely to the format; most are in the spirit of the text (though Goliath looks like a good-natured Elizabethan). A lively and attractive rendition that should find many uses. (Nonfiction. 6-10)
