THE STORY OF THE CREATION

An illustrator whose elegantly beautiful The Story of Christmas was a 1991 ALA Notable Book brings the same striking blend of folk motifs and Middle Eastern references to a handsome rendition of the King James version of the Creation. Only the first pages here are a little weak, especially a spread with nine vignettes illustrating the early verses—light, night and day, water and dry land; these small images with their unassertive colors simply don't suggest the immensity of the concepts. But with the advent of life, the artist comes into her own with richly fecund tapestries of color; her jewel-like birds and stylized animals recall Wildsmith's sumptuous art, but Ray's carefully balanced organization and creative use of frames— bordered with decorative thematic collages or simply lined in gold—are uniquely hers. Her dark Adam and somewhat fairer Eve, wreathed in delicate flowers, are last seen sleeping, on the seventh day, in a small, beautifully composed Peaceable Kingdom. A lovely presentation. Also available in Spanish (with the biblical text from Ediciones Paulinas, 1974). (Bible/Picture book. 3+)