Straight’s book is not long. In just a few sentences, she explains that before the world existed, there was nothing — then God made light, day and night, the sky, the land, the seas, plants, the sun and moon, animals, and finally people. The language is direct, rhythmic, and unmistakably that of a young child: “He made the sun to shine in the day and the moon to shine in the night.”
The illustrations are equally remarkable: bold crayon drawings on colored paper, unframed and sprawling to the edges, full of childlike energy. There are no adult corrections — only a four-year-old’s unself-conscious expression of faith and imagination. dorothy straight how the world began pdf upd full
Though out of print for decades, original copies of How the World Began are sought by collectors of unusual children’s books. In recent years, digital scans and read-aloud videos have introduced the book to new generations. Parents and teachers share it as an example of what children can create when given crayons, paper, and encouragement. Straight’s book is not long
In 1964, a four-year-old girl named Dorothy Straight sat down with a box of crayons and a few pieces of paper. At the request of her grandmother, she drew and wrote a short creation story — a child’s simple, wonder-filled answer to the question, “How did the world begin?” Central conflict: Susan mentions creationism in a science
That handwritten, illustrated story stayed in the family until 1972, when Pantheon Books published it as How the World Began. Dorothy Straight became the youngest published author in history — a title she still holds today.