Creation: Stories from Around the World

From the earliest times peole have sought to answer questions relating to the mysteries of the cosmos; they have made up and told stories attempting to explain the origins of the universe, the beginnings of humankind and how and why animals and things are as they are. This collection includes sixteen stories around three main themes,whose diversity reflects the incredible range of human imagination. Thus under the heading ‘The Creation of the World’ we have, among others, a Chinese story of the creator giant Phan-Ku and a Norse myth which tells how everything came from fire and ice, six stories are concerned with light and warmth including one from the Inuit people, a Greek myth and an Aboriginal tale, and there are five animal pourquoi stories. Pilling’s retellings retain the directness of the oral traditional origins of the tales and encompass a variety of moods including awe, wonder, humour, sadness and hope. Foreman’s lyrical paintings have a timeless quality which mirrors the profundity of the book’s overall theme and at the same time illuminates the inner distinctiveness of each individual tale. A book to grow with and to treasure.