First Light, First Life: A Worldwide Creation Story

Gr 1–4—Conceived as a companion to Fleischman's acclaimed Glass Slipper, Gold Sandal: A Worldwide Cinderella, this title can be read as a stand-alone. Fleischman pieces together a variety of creation myths—each page representing a different country or state—to construct one relatively seamless myth. From the first page ("In the beginning, there was only darkness" [China]) through the end ("The sun warmed the earth" [Mexico]), this patchwork tale flows freely and smoothly from one page to the next. Many will recognize stories of major world religions ("God caused it to rain for forty days and forty nights" [Israel]), but will also likely discover lesser-known stories, such as one from the Banks Islands in the Pacific ("Quat made the first humans out of wood."). Inspired by traditional textiles associated with many of the cultures included, Paschkis's illustrations provide a vibrant, folksy backdrop upon which the myths unfold, but also contribute mightily to the continuity. She ties each myth to the next as visual elements from one country's page run into and are incorporated into the next. While this volume is largely successful, some of the myths' attributions prove problematic. A few tales, for example, are labeled by U.S. state rather than the Native American tribe of origin, hence masking the unique contribution of individual groups to the common body of creation myths.