Synopses & Reviews
A five-thousand-year-old story.
When the godchild Atum emerges from inky silence to begin his work of creation, he first conjures up the passionate gods of air and rain, followed by Geb, god of the earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky. But earth and sky cling to each other, sharing whispered secrets and laughter, leaving Atum no room to complete his creation. So Atum has no choice but to force them apart, infuriating Geb and leaving Nut sad and lonely . . . until Thoth, the god of wisdom, takes pity on her.
From an age-old explanation of how our starry universe came to be, Dianne Hofmeyr and Jude Daly have fashioned a dazzling and accessible picture-book introduction to Egyptian mythology.
Review
"After countless ages, a ripple formed beneath the black water and the bud of a lotus flower pushed upwards. As the petals slowly unfurled, they spread a blue luster in the darkness. Enclosed in the center of the bloom was the golden godchild, Atum."
and#151; from the book
Synopsis
In the beginning, nothing moves in the inky silence . . .and#160;until the golden godchild Atum gradually unfolds from a lotus bud. From him come the gods of the air and rain and their childrenand#160;and#8212; Geb, god of Earth, and Nut, goddess of the sky. Geb and Nut are inseparable. They clasp one another and share whispered secrets, leaving no space between the sky and the earth for Atum to continue creating. So Atum has no choice but to have them forcibly separated, leaving Geb enraged and Nut sad and lonely . . .and#160;The beautiful story that follows explains, according to Ancient Egyptian beliefs, how day, night and the starry universe were first created.
About the Author
Dianne Hofmeyr grew up on the tip of Southern Africa. She graduated as an art teacher in Cape Town and has written several teenage novels and picture books. she has won the M-Net Award for fiction and has two IBBY Honour Books. Jude Daly was born in London and emigrated to South Africa as a young child. She went to art college in Cape Town, and now lives there with her husband, the writer and illustrator Niki Daly, and their two sons.