Batwings and the Curtain of Night

In this contemporary creation story, nocturnal creatures make a few improvements upon their domain. The world is empty and drab until the Mother of All Things throws a ball of clay into the sky with such spin that it flares into light. She shakes loose a multitude of creatures from her skirts, weaves a curtain of night from fronds and branches, and pulls night-prowling creatures from her sleeve. These last soon begin to grumble about the lack of decent light: " 'It's too dark the run,' the coyote whined. 'I stub my toes on logs.' " The animals take matters into their own hands: the owl manages to tear a moon-sized hole in the curtain of night, and the bats pierce pricks of light. GrandPre's (Chin Yu Min and the Ginger Cat) lush, dramatic pastel drawings evoke motion so adroitly?with billowing garments, unexpected perspectives and swarms of bats?that they themselves seem to ride on gusts of wind. In her extraordinary shifts of light, the sun bathes figures in a warm glow, the nighttime mission gets a scarlet backdrop and in the end, the creatures are gently backlit against a abundantly starry sky. Yet even without such striking illustrations, Davol's (How Snake Got His Hiss) narrative images are palpable enough to conjure up a new world in readers' minds. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

A beguiling, original creation myth that explains why bats hang upside down in large groups. The Mother of All Things finds the world dull and gray, so she molds a perfect ball from clay and tosses it into the sky to become the sun. Her pockets and skirts and sleeves are full of seeds and creatures, and she populates the wide world with them. Seeing that the animals and plants needed to rest from the bright sun, she weaves a curtain of ferns and branches to draw across the sky, ``and night was born.'' The night creatures--owl, panther, coyote, sloth, and bats--find the night too dark, but the Mother of All Things charges them to solve the problem themselves. With gumption, cooperation, and courage, they do so, creating a sky full of stars and bringing the story to a heartening close. The rich, deep pastel illustrations use the figures of plants and animals in ways that stretch and bend the picture space. The Mother of All Things is a wondrous figure herself, with a ripe body, earth-colored robe, and abundant, plaited hair. The text is on the long side, but children's fascination with animals in general and mysterious bats in particular will keep them enthralled. (Picture book. 5-8) -- Copyright ©1997, Kirkus Associates, LP. All rights reserved.