Iblis
by Shulamith Oppenheim
Illustrated by Ed Young
Hardcover
Harcourt Brace Jovanovich, 1994
All ages
ISBN-0152380167

In the Islamic version of Adam and Eve's fall, Iblis (Satan) holds center stage. He has tried, readers learn, for 500 years, to sneak into Paradise. Finally, perceiving the serpent's vanity, Iblis promises her immunity from illness, old age, and death in return for being smuggled into Eden in the nick of her teeth. The same vanity is Eve's undoing. Iblis appears to her in dazzling splendor, claiming that his transformation from human to angel was wrought by the forbidden fruit (here a grain of wheat). God's retribution swiftly follows and punishments-pain and loss-are meted out to the humans, their animal companions, and Iblis himself.

Kirkus Reviews"A beautiful and powerful offering."
Booklist: ". . . an outstanding aid to understanding the continuity between Islamic and Western culture."