1. BIBLIOGRAPHY
Goble, Paul. Song of Creation. Grand Rapids, Mich.: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers, 2004. ISBN 9780802852717
2. PLOT SUMMARY
“O all you (insert the name of an animal, flower, or object) Lord, bless you the Lord: praise him and magnify him forever.” This simple phrase is stated over and over throughout the entire book. Different animals, plants, and creations are prayed for.
3. CRITICAL ANALYSIS
This book resembles the song from The Book of Common Prayer. The title page includes an illustration that depicts The Prayer of Azariah and the Song of the Three Young Men being saved from the fires of death by the power of prayer. The men are shown with hands up in the air, behind a wall of fire and surrounded by angels. Paul Goble states that he has made some changes in verse order to fit comfortably with the illustrations, and a few words and verses were changed or left out. His use of watercolor is superb. Goble has used American landscapes and animals for his book even though the book was originally set in England. His work shows roots to the Native American culture. Landscape scenes of the Black Hills of South Dakota are depicted on every page. Goble takes great care to incorporate many of the animals in their natural surroundings with different types of birds on each page. A page giving thanks for the fish illustrate many of the common fishes like bass, trout, sturgeon, sunfish, catfish, and minnows. The birds migrating from the north to the south are portrayed using beautiful backgrounds with snow and fields of grass. Seasonal changes show autumn leaves, spring flowers, and snow covered tree branches with snowy mountains in the background. The changes in sky show different acts of nature like sunsets, rain, lightning, daytime, nighttime and cloud formations. In smaller print the verse differs to include many different animals, flora and fauna.
4. REVIEW EXCERPT(S)
Barbara L. Talcroft (Children's Literature) “For those familiar with the author’s body of work drawing on the legends and natural environment of the Plains Indians, this book may or may not be a surprise.”
Kirkus (Kirkus Reviews, August 15, 2004 (Vol. 72, No. 16)) “Goble's instantly recognizable illustration style is at its best, from the herd of charging wild horses on the cover to the snowy mountain on the final page.”
Julie Cummins (Booklist, Oct. 1, 2004 (Vol. 101, No. 3)) “Goble uses his elegant signature watercolors in a gloriously illustrated creation prayer that sings praise to God. In striking graphic compositions, Goble creates magical, yet concrete, scenes of birds, beasts, fish, and more, conveying a personal and a universal reverence for and connection to nature.”
Best Books: Children's Catalog, Nineteenth Edition, 2006 ; H.W. Wilson; United States
Kirkus Book Review Stars, August 15, 2004 ; United States
Top 10 Religion Books for Youth, 2005 ; American Library Association-Booklist; United States
Awards, Honors, Prizes: Midwest Book Award, 2004 First Place Picture Book United States. Paul Goble was awarded the Caldecott Medal in 1979 for his book The Girl Who Loved Wild Horses. His books have also earned praise form the National Council of Social Studies, the International Reading Association and the Children’s Book Council.
5. CONNECTIONS
• Students can conduct a study of Native Americans and their culture. Then they can look closely at prayers and chants with this book and compare and contrast the types of chants and prayers used with Native Americans and the Anglican Church.
• Students can discover some of the many contributions Native Americans have made to world cultures.
• Students can focus on the theme of migration. They learn the variety of reasons why groups of people migrate like herd of animals.
• Students can create different types of clouds and acts of Mother Nature with different landscapes.
• Students can create animals that are nocturnal with star patterns in the sky.
• Read books about Native Americans.
Native North American wisdom and gifts 2006 Niki Walker & Bobbie Kalman. ISBN 9780778703846
Famous Native North Americans. 2004 Bobbie Kalman & Molly Aloian.2004 ISBN9780778703792
Lasting echoes: an oral history of Native American people 1997 Joseph Bruchac; assemblage and painting by Paul Morin. ISBN 9780152013271
Native Americans: an inside look at the tribes and traditions. 2001 by Laura Bullet; consultant, Darren Ranco. ISBN 9780789479778
As long as the rivers flow: the stories of nine Native Americans 1996 by Paula Gunn Allen and Patricia Clark Smith. ISBN 9780590478694
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