If it weren't for its anti-science agenda, "A is for Adam" would be a well-put-together piece of work. The illustrations by Dan Lietha are colorful, comical and engaging. The writing is simple and straightforward.

But the agenda!

Interspersed with a rather straight telling of the story of the Garden of Eden are some real howlers. The biblical Behemoth was a dinosaur; dodos, dinosaurs, mammoths and humans lived together on Noah's Ark; brothers and sisters (Adam and Eve's children) could marry licitly (though without scriptural attestation) in the early days of humanity. Every fact is arrayed carefully to "explain" some problem with a literalist view of Scripture. I will give Ham credit for including a four-legged snake (as clearly implied by Genesis) as the tempter of Eve.

The back of the book includes black-and-white outlines of the book's illustrations, perfect for photocopying for Sunday School coloring. There is also a parent and teacher section that lays out the basis for Ham's odd assertions. Dog breeds, he insists, are not due to evolution, but to the fact that God put lots of information into dog genes. Ham thus believes in genes, but evidently not in the mutability that gave rise to the breeds, or the odd fact that the various dog breeds have almost identical genes. There is something unseemly in efforts to co-opt some parts of science while denying other aspects that are less comforting, but just as reliable.

Like Ham's "D is for Dinosaur," this book is an attempt to uphold the literalist interpretation of the Bible. While many other denominations have made peace with the truth of science, there's a minority of humanity that will continue rejecting the evidence of their eyes. This, sadly, they consider "faith." Ham's purpose is to placate this minority and give it "evidence" for continuing its willful blindness. The question is whether this is the reason that God give us brains.

This is the best book that summarizes the whole Bible. It makes the Bible clear to young children and adults alike! It is a great book to keep for many years. The back of the book tells you how to make it more interesting and more informative for the older children. My 4 year old loves it and I am learning things from it too! This book is also great for a series of Sunday School lessons.

My boys love this book (and the video). Leans toword Arminianism and pre-millennialism, but otherwise complete sound. Christian world view was never this fun and simple!