With vigor and playfulness, Shaw (Water My Soul
, for adults) imagines God's thought process as He created the world, even though "We don't know how God did it./ We weren't there to see." Creating "a something from a vast nothing" for the first time was not easy, she contends. "Very tricky. But God did it." Shaw follows the structure of the book of Genesis in describing the day-by-day developments, including Day 6, when God fashioned two friends—man and woman—whose company he could enjoy, and Day 7 when He "decided to stretch out and relax in a very large hammock strung between two galaxies." Though she takes liberties with the biblical text, Shaw conveys the same sense of respectful awe and praise. The artists collaborate on broad sweeping scenes that depict the Earth and its myriad creatures as they are spun into being by God's unseen force. The expansive spreads, moving from black-and-white to a rainbow of color, offer plenty to pore over. All ages. (Oct.)
