Creation Colors

by Ann Koffsky

Overview

“It's rare that a children's book with this level of craftsmanship comes along today…” – Jennifer MacLeod

In the beginning, there was nothing. No colors at all. Day by day by day, God poured and planted and created the colors of the world. God said, "This is very good." And it was.

This lyrical story pairs each day of Creation with a color. On the first day, God separated the crisp, strong blacks from the wintry, pale whites. On day two, God poured bubbling blues across the skies and into the watery oceans and seas…. The story continues until the sixth day, which celebrates the diversity of animals and people, and ends with the seventh day when God rested.

A note to readers invites children to spot the colors around them, and to notice details in the world with fresh eyes and with wonder.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781681155456
Publisher:	Behrman House, Incorporated
Publication date:	02/01/2019
Pages:	24
Product dimensions:	11.25(w) x 8.75(h) x (d)
Age Range:	2 - 5 Years

Editorial Reviews

"This is an absolutely beautiful book which celebrates the wonders of God's creation through exquisite papercut illustrations. It's rare that a children's book with this level of craftsmanship comes along today, and Koffsky has truly created a work to treasure, a modern classic you'll want to keep in good shape for the grandchildren. Each spread is richer and more extravagant than the last, showcasing an interplay of colours, shapes, and textures through the luminous illustrations. Eminently readable and read-out-loudable, this is one book Jewish and Christian parents and teachers will love sharing over and over again to join with kids in appreciating all the marvels of creation."

— Jennifer MacLeod, author of Fast Asleep in a Little Village in Israel

"Creation Colors is a wondrous adventure with an original approach to the story of Creation through colors. I immediately delved into each page and experienced the colors of the luminous illustrations and the brief text that captures the kernel of each day's creation. I loved this book also because Ann Koffsky's paper-cut illustrations allow the reader/viewer to actively dialogue with them and the story. This is the kind of imaginative book that should be open on an adult's lap turning the pages together with a child as they discover inspiring questions and more stories together. What a treasure!"

— Peninnah Schram

"To achieve the dis­tinc­tive tech­nique used to cre­ate the tex­tured art, not­ed artist and illus­tra­tor Koff­sky com­bined acrylic paint on can­vas with over­laid cut-paper designs, result­ing in a painter­ly style enriched by crisp lines. The col­ors are rich­land the art­work beau­ti­ful­ly evokes the themes of the book. ...This book is rec­om­mend­ed as an excel­lent read-aloud with time to be spent exam­in­ing the beau­ti­ful artwork; it will be espe­cial­ly wel­comed in Jew­ish preschool classes."

— Jewish Book Council

From the Publisher

08/09/2019

PreS-Gr 1-According to this creation story about colors, on day two, "bubbling blues" emerged when God created the sky and the seas. On day three, green was created along with the grasses and trees. Other colors burst into the world, corresponding to the items and creatures God made on the other days. This is a delightful and appealing concept, beautifully carried out by Koffsky, who saves the best for last: on day six, God creates the animals and humans. From this auspicious beginning of the family of humankind arose colors "in every shade and hue." A dazzling array of colors, symbolizing the rainbow that comprises the Earth's peoples, brightens a spread near the conclusion, which has God declaring satisfaction with the work and resting on Shabbat, the seventh day. As if the vibrant colors splashed across these pages weren't enough, the book benefits from splendid cut-paper collages that shimmer with movement and energy and perfectly capture various animals' "textures and patterns," among other things. VERDICT Highly recommended for public, secular, and Jewish as well as other faiths' religious-school collections. This will also work well as a springboard for discussions about and activities exploring color.-Carol Goldman, formerly at Queens Library, NY

School Library Journal

2019-01-28

The biblical story of Creation, seen through a theme of colors.

"In the beginning, there was nothing. No colors at all," reads the first page, showing a dark gray, canvas-textured background; abstract black and gray cutouts sit in front of it while bits of dark blue peek out from behind it. The architect here is God, unseen and ungendered, spelled out in Christian/mainstream tradition (though the author's note calls the day of rest "Shabbat," a Jewish term). God's creations are mapped onto colors: The spread about skies and oceans is blue while the one about trees and grasses is green. Some mappings, such as pinks for fishes, feel arbitrary. On the first day, when God "separate[s] the crisp, strong blacks / from the wintry, pale whites," the cutout design resembles a web or net—but with sharp, nonrepeating shapes rather than geometrical repetition. Dim light illuminates the netting-shapes on the black page but doesn't make them, as the text claims, "crisp." On "day four" (sun, moon, stars), the low-saturation oranges aren't "burning" as claimed—though the facing page does blaze thanks to yellows and unacknowledged red. God's first two humans—unnamed and ungendered, one with medium-light orange-brown skin and short, straight hair, the other with very pale skin and long, loosely-curly brown hair tumbling downward—face demurely away from readers among vine-shaped cutouts.

The story calls for oomph and glory, but the illustrations don't deliver. (author's note) (Picture book/religion. 3-6)

Kirkus Reviews