GENESIS

Young (Night Visitors, 1995, etc.), with his sure elegance, exceptional take on nuance and suggestion, and the palpable luxury of his colors, creates a compelling version of the Judeo-Christian creation story. Against the stately language of the King James Genesis, Young's palette of dark jewel tones suggest and intimate the mystery and majesty of creation. A tiny light gleams in the blue- black void; on the next spread, that light cracks open the darkness as the waters and the firmament divide. A shape hints at a great serpent or animal; then animal faces peer from the grasses and bird flight from the clouds. When the earth brings forth living creatures, the shark appears under the wingspread of the eagle; man crouches, his hands clutching at the earth from whence he came. The hand of God holds myriad living shapes as the command comes to be fruitful and multiply; those forms re-form in the contours of Adam and Eve. While not for those who want a literal illustration of Genesis, this beautiful book honors the Word and the story. (Picture book. 4-8)