A Beautiful World (Paperback)

'Although there have been many picture books about how the world came to be according to Jewish tradition, A Beautiful World is unique. Yael Gover and Paul Kor imagine the act of creation in Genesis as a glorious art project, with a child creating the beauty of her environment. Readers are invited to follow her untutored imagination through the process of discovery. Paul Kor’s (1926 – 2001) images are reminiscent of 1960s pop art, like the work of Peter Max, but they also capture the naiveté of a child’s painting. Plants and animals populating the earth, sea, and sky are whimsical, with human-like facial expressions and the range of tones available in a box of primary colored paints. Each two-page spread has a flap that opens to reveal more words and another section of the illustration. The book’s format mirrors its theme: that verbal and visual creativity unfold gradually.


Gover captures the excitement of a child realizing her potential to bring ideas to life. The narrator asks her-self, “What’s missing? What can I add? Which colors should I pick?” Any artist who’s confronted a blank page will identify with these thoughts. Even if children aren’t familiar with the account of the world’s birth in the Bible, they will understand the message that creation begins with emptiness and culminates with a final vision.


The narrator becomes immersed in her artwork, going so far as to smell the flowers she has painted, and to “invite” the moon into her world. She asks questions about which creatures will swim in the waves and how many land animals will comfortably fit into the composition, welcoming the reader to participate in her creation. The question “Should I draw more?” will make sense to children who often wonder whether their own picture is finished.


A surprise at the end of the book reiterates that every artist is both an individual and a collaborator. Each creature inhabits its own niche, but also forms part of our largest community: the world itself.’

Emily Schneider, Jewish Book Council

"The upbeat text is perfectly complemented by a cheerful palette and childlike illustrations, reminiscent of The Beatles' Yellow Submarine.”

Dena Bach, Illustration Editor, www.sydneytaylorshmooze.com

"With upbeat text perfectly complemented by a cheerful palette and childlike illustrations, A Beautiful World takes us through the creation story. A nameless narrator - apparently Hashem - begins with a black page and adds light and color, water and land, plants and animals, and so on, until the world is almost complete. What is missing? Why, you, the reader! Just as Hashem invites us to be partners in creation, the narrator invites the reader to be a partner in enjoying the world - and reading this book! The final page has a mirror on it so the child reader can see herself. Young children love seeing themselves in the mirror, so that would certainly add to the fun! A Beautiful World is sure to be a favorite of young children - and their parents.”

Rachel J. Fremmer, www.sydneytaylorshmooze.com