In The Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World

In The Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World
Author	Virginia Hamilton
Illustrator	Barry Moser
Cover artist	Barry Moser
Language	English
Genre	Mythology
Publisher	Harcourt
Publication date	1988
Publication place	United States
Media type	Hardback / Paperback
ISBN	0-15-238740-4

Last updated December 14, 2025

In The Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World is a 1988 collection of 25 creation stories from cultures around the world written by Virginia Hamilton and illustrated by Barry Moser.^[1] It was well-received, earning a Newbery Honor in 1989, Hamilton's second after Sweet Whispers, Brother Rush in 1983, an American Institute of Graphic Arts design award, a Children's Book Council notable book recognition, and a National Science Teaching Association outstanding book recognition.^[2]^[3]

Included stories

The culture, mythology, or source is listed in parentheses^[3]

The Pea-Pod Man (Inuit)
Finding Night (Qat)
An Endless Sea of Mud (Kono)
Bursting from the Hen's Egg (Pangu)
Traveling to Form the World (Blackfoot)
First Man Becomes the Devil (Ülgen; Erlik; Pajana)
Turtle Dives to the Bottom of the Sea (Maidu)
Moon and Sun (Fon)
Bandicoots Come from His Body (Arrernte)
Spider Ananse Finds Something (Wulbari)
The Woman Who Fell from the Sky (Wyandot)
Man Copies God (Lozi)
The Frost Giant (Norse; section of Prose Edda)
Owner of the Sky (Yoruba)
Marduk, God of Gods (section of Enūma Eliš)
Four Creations to Make Man (Kʼicheʼ; see also Popol Vuh)
The Angry Gods (Ta-aroa; Tangaroa)
Sun, Life, Wind, and Death (Lowa)
The Sun-God and the Dragon (Egyptian)
Separation of Earth and Sky (Minyong)
First Man, First Woman (Hebrew; section of the Torah)
The Coming of All Things (Greek; section of Theogony)
The God Brings Fire to Man (Greek)
Pandora (Greek)
In the Beginning (Hebrew, section of the Torah)

References

↑ Gillespie, John T.; Naden, Corinne J., eds. (2006). The Newbery/Printz Companion: Book Talk and Related Materials (3rd ed.). Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 1-59158-313-6.
↑ "Association for Library Service to Children - Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books, 1922 – Present" (PDF). ALA.org. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
1 2 Hamilton, Virginia (1988). In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World. Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-238740-4.

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[1] Gillespie, John T.; Naden, Corinne J., eds. (2006). The Newbery/Printz Companion: Book Talk and Related Materials (3rd ed.). Libraries Unlimited. ISBN 1-59158-313-6.

[award-2] "Association for Library Service to Children - Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books, 1922 – Present" (PDF). ALA.org. Retrieved December 7, 2025.

[the_book-3] 1 2 Hamilton, Virginia (1988). In the Beginning: Creation Stories from Around the World. Harcourt. ISBN 0-15-238740-4.

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