Fischer, Chuck. In the Beginning: The Art of Genesis. Text by Curtis Flowers. Paper Engineering by Bruce Foster. New York: Little, Brown and Company, 2008. 12 pp. $35. ISBN: 978-0-316-11842-2.

In the Beginning is a work of consummate art, craft, and ingenuity. To describe it as a “pop-up” book would be an understatement. Noah’s ark leaps off the page; the tower of Babel soars to the sky; Jacob’s ladder ascends to heaven’s giddy heights. However, although this book contains stories from Genesis/Bereshit, it is not a Jewish book.

Fischer chose to illustrate the following stories: The Creation, Adam and Eve, Noah’s Ark, the Tower of Babel, Jacob’s Dream, and Joseph in Egypt. Each spectacular illustration is accompanied by foldout, mini-booklets that retell the story or add commentary about it. For example, “Noah’s Ark” is accompanied by booklets that explain such elements as Noah and the ark, the covenant with Noah, and the symbolism of the dove and the olive branch. Each illustration emulates a different style of art. “Jacob’s Dream” looks like an ornate stained-glass window replete with angels who have halos and wings; “Joseph in Egypt” is filled with Egyptian symbols and hieroglyphics.

Problems are evident in this rendition of Genesis. Firstly, In the Beginning is not a book for children, as much as they may be intrigued and delighted by its movement and engineering. Small children will inevitably destroy the delicate workings of this book; older children will probably want to read the bible story that goes with the illustration, but each story is written in densely-packed text tucked away in a mini-booklet. Furthermore, the many nude figures in the art reproductions will probably make many teachers (and parents) blush and turn the pages over as quickly as possible. Secondly, this book has a non-Jewish perspective, as exemplified by the numerous reproductions of art from medieval and Renaissance time periods, the profusion of figures with halos around their heads, the repeated mention of Original Sin, and the illustrations of God and foreign gods like Osiris. Finally, the author does not indicate the sources of his material—neither the art work nor the biblical text nor the commentaries. In a book like this, the credits should extend beyond thanking friends and colleagues.

As gorgeous as this book is, this reviewer does not recommend it for a Jewish library, whether in a school, synagogue, or community center. It would certainly have a place in a special collection about book illustration or biblical art.