Creation Colors follows the familiar biblical creation story, with a special focus on the colors found throughout the world. Through the book’s beautifully illustrated pages, the reader watches God’s creation take shape and the colors He chooses are named, one by one. Vibrant images depict the colors —the blues of the skies and oceans, the greens of the grasses and trees, as well as all the other colors of the rainbow, as each new part of the world comes into being. But on Day Six, when the first two people are created, no color at all is mentioned and, because they are seen from the back, no identifying facial features are apparent. This unusual treatment allows the reader the freedom to imagine what these first two people looked like. The next spread expands on this theme, acknowledging the rich diversity of humankind. People are shown in an array of colors, accompanied by text that reads, “But soon there were many, many more, in every shade and hue.” This is a sensitive treatment the importance of representation and a welcome reminder of our shared humanity.
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.
A brief note on the last page includes readers by actively encouraging them to notice the many colors, especially in nature, that surround us every day.
This book is recommended as an excellent read-aloud with time to be spent examining the beautiful art work; it will be especially welcomed in Jewish preschool classes.
Susan Kantor was a senior writer/editor for Girl Scouts of the USA, a children’s book editor, and a past judge for the National Jewish Book Awards in the illustrated children’s book category. She is a writer and a docent at the Rubin Museum in New York City, where she leads public and private tours.
