AND IN THE BEGINNING...

After Mahtmi created the world—``a mind-provokin' task''— he modeled Kwanza, the first man, from the black earth near Mt. Kilimanjaro—``Intelligent company at last, he thought.'' Kwanza wanders off to explore; when he comes back, he finds that Mahtmi has created more people, from the sands of Normandy, red Georgia clay, and other elements. Seeing his tears of envy, Mahtmi heats his fingers in Old Faithful and curls Kwanza's hair, promising that he and his descendants will always bear this special token of love. Williams writes in a sprightly, natural style, casting this original folktale as one told by her grandmother, Shammama; Roth's strong-featured figures and rich, glowing palette reflect both the story's bright humor and its serious themes. A fine debut for both author and illustrator, well suited for reading alone or aloud. (Folklore/Picture book. 6-9)