It says quite clearly that this book is for grades 6 and up. I believe it also says ages 12 and up in another section, but I think where people get really confused (and I have seen this many times on Amazon) is where further down it says "ages 4-8".

I am pretty sure that this is meant to be grades 4-8 (here and on other pages as well), which makes more sense given the complexity of the subject matter and vocabulary.

I would still consider this a children's book, although I can see how adults who have been raised on (and passed on to their children) dumbed-down junk literature might be suprised that children can (and do) enjoy complex and layered literature with a varied and rich vocabulary as much as adults.

This book works well as a read-aloud for as young as preschool age. The illustrations are very exceptional. My favorite is the painting of "Woman" on page 6.

A previous reviewer said that s/he couldn't understand why this was listed as a children's book. All I can say is that while I would love to think our first grader is a genius, he lets us know when a story is over his head. When it's a little too hard, he'll ask questions. When it's a lot too hard, he'll give up and let his attention wander. He asks questions occasionally with this book, but he'll ask for me to read the next one about half of the time too.

I also enjoyed the stories, and as an adult can get more out of the book than a kid. But one of the great things about a good story is that it's layered and different levels of comprehension can all enjoy it.

The pictures of the deities were not what I expected the deity to look like, but they are beautiful. It may also be worth noting that the versions the myths given here may or may not be "just like" versions you've seen elsewhere. Considering none are offered in their original language, and we've enjoyed these retellings, I don't have a problem with that. But I know some might.

The strongest point of the book in my mind is that it really is World mythology. It's a little skimpy on South America, and a tad strong on Greek and Middle Eastern, but it does have a variety of stories. All the inhabited continents are covered once.
North America: 4
South America: 1
Asia: 5
Africa: 4
Europe: 4 + russia
Oceania (Australia and Islands): 5

Each myth is followed by a short blurb about the people from which it came. At the end of the book there is a list of Useful Sources. I would have prefered the Table of Contents list the origin of the story in some fashion (part of the world, name of the people, etc), but since I now own a copy, I can pencil that in myself. :)

In this collection of tales, creation stories from around the world are retold by Virginia Hamilton. The book is beautifully illustrated with explanations included (for adults) about the choice of creation stories, and the categories they fall into. Reading this reminded me of the books of Greek myths I once read as a child. However, nothing I've ever seen compares to the beauty found within this collection's pages. Easily concerned parents beware. These stories haven't been rendered politically correct, nor have they been altered for modern sensibilities. In many tales, women are usually the catalysts of any problems with the world and violence occurs with steady regularity. Do not let this put you off. Though different, this is a text that deserves to be seen by all children from all walks of life.

I'm puzzled as to why IN THE BEGINNING is listed by Amazon as a children's book! Perhaps a child would enjoy the astounding pictures, but it would be only a very advanced child who could read or understand the impact of this examination of the religious beliefs of other cultures. It's the perfect book for cultural anthropology students or mythology buffs. It would certainly tweak the curiosity of readers who wonder about the origins of religion.
I found it a book that led me into more exploration into a fascinating field.