The Creation of the Wildebeest

I am truly partial to a great creation story.  Many cultures, religions, nations, have their own unique creation story.  It’s the first glimpse you will get into the beliefs, values, and knowledge of a particular people.  The Wild Beast by Eric Walters and Sue Todd is a story, about how the wildebeest came to be.  Many people in parts of Eastern and Central Africa have a variation of the same story: how the wildebeest is made up of all the parts The Creator had left over when creating the world.  Eric Walters is a respected Elder in the community of Mbooni, Kenya due to all the work he and his children’s program, Creation of Hope, have done over the years and he respectfully tells the creation story as any elder of a community would.  There is an excellent take away from the story in the line, “Take what you need to live. Take no more. Waste nothing” A stellar message to our children today to take care of the earth and only use those resources which are necessary and no more than what is needed.

Sue Todd’s illustrative style is breathtaking.  I have always been fascinated by lino cut printmaking and to see it on the scale she produces is truly remarkable.  We had the good fortune of meeting Sue at Indigo one afternoon and she had all the lino cuts she produced for the book and the painstaking work that went into all of the spreads was inspiring.  The bold outlines and the vibrant colours bring this book to life and you will want to come back to it over and over again.