ADAM'S ANIMALS

After the creation of Earth, a young man called Adam names all the animals and then meets his partner, Eve.

The story opens with the first days of life on Earth as mountains form, plants sprout, and animals arrive. Adam suddenly appears as a young man with brown skin and dark hair. He likes to walk and talk with all the animals and decides he should name every species. The animals form a huge line to receive their monikers, and Adam names them in alphabetical order, from aardvarks to zebras. Some creatures will be familiar to children, but many will be new, such as the dik-dik, the kinkajou, and the matamata. When Adam feels lonely, a female human mysteriously appears and agrees to be Adam’s partner. The young woman also has brown skin and long, dark hair that conveniently covers her body, and she doesn’t need Adam to name her as she already has her own name, Eve. Pleasant illustrations creatively integrate the disparate creatures (labeled unobtrusively) into congenial groupings, although the animals can’t be shown in proper perspective due to space limitations. God and the role of the divine in creation are not mentioned in the text, although that is addressed in an author’s note, which names the source of the story as the biblical book of Genesis. The infamous snake and the apple tree are not included in this interpretation.

A congenial, readable story best suited for families interested in a secular treatment of this particular slice of Genesis.