Genesis: From Creation to the Flood

Gr 4 Up—This full-color graphic novel portrays the first nine chapters of the book of Genesis, including the fall of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, the story of Cain and Abel, and the tale of Noah and the flood. This book offers a visual introduction to the Bible for young readers, as it includes fragments of the text while avoiding scenes of extreme brutality. Quinn personalizes these biblical characters. For instance, when Adam and Eve have eaten the fruit from the Tree of Knowledge, they quickly get into an argument. When Adam immediately starts to blame Eve she retorts, "Oh, that's so typical of you, always looking to blame others for your own mistakes." The serpent stands out especially as he mesmerizes Adam and Eve. Kumar depicts Adam's and Eve's eyes with neon spirals and uses snakelike text in the serpent's speech bubbles. God is never depicted. Kumar's ark animals are drawn beautifully with more detail than his drawings of people. Overall, his illustrations are more cartoonlike than realistic, which may frustrate some readers. The volume is appended with a diagram of the first family tree leading right up to the time of Noah. Also included are brief descriptions of further tales from Genesis and a section highlighting different Great Flood myths from other cultures.