A VERY BIG PROBLEM

Using the first two chapters of Genesis as a starting point, this story reimagines the Earth’s parts and inhabitants, created by God and at odds with each other.

Written in rhythmic style, reminiscent of the Old Testament chapters with their repetitive refrains, this text reads aloud well. As Levine and Sasso’s story goes, God creates Land, Rain, Plants, Sun, Birds, Earthworms, Quadrupeds, and Children in order to fashion the “very first garden,” but each “brag[s] and boast[s] and bluster[s],” thinking they must be the most important part. Land asserts, “God should love me the most. It is only fair,” and all the others follow suit, until God states “my love is big enough for every one of you.” Then, as God intended: “There was peace. / And it was very good.” An authors’ note mentions the legend is written in “the storytelling form from rabbinic literature known as midrash.” Although it focuses on Creation, it does not retell the story of Adam and Eve but pictures contemporary diverse children, their descendants. The note goes on to suggest various ideas for use (even to introduce the story of evolution), but the focus is on the story’s moral and imaginative qualities. The text uses no gender pronouns, and the layered, richly colored illustrations occasionally evoke Eric Carle’s collages.

A well-crafted story of cooperation and sharing within the context of the biblical story of Creation.