God Creates a Snake

Snake is in the process of being created when he visits Creation Station to meet with God face-to-face. The little, slithery, green creature wants to know what he can do — with what gifts God has granted him so far in the creation process. God, depicted as a huge, manly figure who speaks to Snake with everyday lingo, tells him he can travel across land and water, as well as inch his way through trees. This is all welcoming news to Snake. He becomes excited and inquires further. When God breaks the news to this curious, little critter that he ran out of legs during the creation process, Snake discovers that a fellow inhabitant of his was bestowed with 100 of them!

This adorable, short story, written by debut author Charles Peterson, is essentially a miniature graphic novel. It is hilarious and masterfully written as a very quick, concise read, making it perfect as an introduction to a lesson or simply a fun, bedtime story. God Creates a Snake is a unique book centering in on a very popular topic among young children — creation. The incorporation of animals into the text and storyline adds to the allure for youth. Additionally, illustrator Brian Russell does an amazing job of weaving humor, wit, and appeal into the story with his original and eye-catching illustrations. Though this precious, picture book might entice children as old as eight, it’s most appropriate for the younger audience. The reading level is targeted toward kindergarten through second grade students, depending on their decoding and fluency abilities. It is an entertaining read, in any case, and would make a wonderful first book of a future series of God Creates books!