Genesis People: by Sheila Deeth

Genesis People: by Sheila Deeth
Reviewed by Fran Lewis


Imagine a group of children sitting mesmerized when learning about the Creation of the World. How amazing that would be! Imagine the same children listening and asking questions as they hear the stories for the first time in the Book of Genesis told in a unique and exciting manner. Imagine your child or your Sunday School Bible class asking questions and wanting to hear and learn more. Why imagine it! Read Genesis People by Sheila Deeth and your child will not only listen but want to hear more and more. Imagine your child wanting to read these stories over and over again. I did.


For any child that has trouble reading the Bible and any parent who wants to stimulate an interest in learning about the book of Genesis this book is perfect. Each story is written in the form of a fairytale explaining and telling about some famous and not so famous people in the first book of the Bible.

These stories are well written, they hold the reader’s interest and they are factual and yet entertaining. Reading about how the serpent tricked Adam and Eve into eating the forbidden fruit and blaming it on Eve was one way to foster a discussion as to why bad things happen and why we have to hunt or buy our food.

Reading about Rachel and Leah the two sisters who married the same man and the problems it caused and how it hurt their relationship and the downfall of Cain and Abel reminded the reader that arguments happen in families today and relationships between brothers and brothers and sisters and sisters are precious and yet fragile.

Each of the short stories teaches a lesson in values, morals and believing in one God. The descriptions of the land and those who abused their wealth and power teaches us that no one is immune from God’s power and decisions.

I loved the story of the Tower Builders and how the town wanted to build a tower up to heaven and all of the trouble that caused in the village and among the people. Sounds like real life where people can’t seem to get along and live in the same country because of their differences in beliefs and religious ideals.

Every story teaches a different lesson in life. Every story can be read separately or in groups when speaking about the same person. These are great for Sunday School discussions with both adults and children. These stories are great for children in schools that teach religion and want the students to write a response of their own or perhaps a letter to the person in that story telling what they think they should have done instead of what they did if it was not the right thing or followed their trust in God.

The story of Lot was my favorite. Not listening to what God said cost Sarah her life. Many of these stories had the people moving from place to place because God told them to. Many had to deal with being a second wife, or not the most important child in the family.

Potiphar had to learn just how greedy his wife was and that she really did not love him, just his wealth. There are so many issues that are written about in each of these great stories that relate to the world not just during the creation but today as well.

The best part of each story was the ending where the author restates the purpose of the story by thanking God for what they learned and what he did for them to keep them safe and more.

As Sheila states “In the beginning God created people to be his friends. But, first we had to learn to be friends. We learned friends value each other. They listen to each other and care for each other.
Thank you God for choosing us and letting us know that you love us.
Thank you Sheila for writing these amazing stories that are not only informative, fun to read but also inspiring.
Fran Lewis reviewer