D is for Dinosaur;
Dodo and Deer,
Like all of the animals,
no man did they fear.
But even though all
was in true harmony,
Adam then realized,
"There’s no one like me!".

Note: The Dodo bird first appeared in “C.” From now on you will notice the Dodo bird making statements to help children get the point of the rhyme and the picture.

Children need to understand that the Dodo bird cannot think or speak like humans. The reason we chose a Dodo bird is that it is believed to be extinct. This helps make an important point later on.

In “A,” we learned that apes and other animals cannot speak. They are made quite differently from humans. However, we needed a character to make some comments (sometimes quite humorous) to help teach important concepts to children. Since children are familiar with cartoons and know that animals really can’t speak or think like humans, we decided that we could ask the children to imagine what the Dodo bird might say if he could speak.

The children will look forward to seeing what the Dodo bird is doing in each picture. In fact, we want them to identify with the Dodo. In other words, looking from the outside in, this is what they would have said if they were there watching these events. This is also meant to help children think about situations and ask the right questions.

In a teaching situation, if you are reading this book to children for the first time, cover up what the Dodo says and ask the children to guess from the picture what it might be saying.

Following on from “C,” we read the rest of Genesis 2:20, " …but for Adam there was not found any help mate for him."

More of the activities of day six of the Creation week include: see “C” for points 1-6.

You can again use this information to teach against evolution. When Adam looked around, he would have seen monkeys as well as various other creatures. However, there was not one creature he saw that was anything like him. Adam certainly did not think that a monkey was anything like a human being. He recognized that he did not have a mate.

This also means there were no other humans. Some people have tried to say that God created other people, and this is where Cain obtained his wife. We will learn later that all humans go back to only two people; if this were not so, then the whole Gospel message fails since only descendants of Adam and Eve can be saved. Thus, when Adam looked around, he saw no other humans no one that could be suitable as a mate for him.

It is also clear that God wanted Adam to understand that his mate was not made at the same time as he. We will learn that God made Eve from Adam. Also, the fact that Adam was created first is confirmed by Paul in 1 Timothy 2:13 concerning the headship of the man in marriage. It would be good to have the children look up this verse so they can see that Paul, a New Testament writer, obviously believed the events of Genesis concerning the creation of Adam and Eve as literal, historical events.

Impress upon the children that originally all of the animals were not frightened of Adam or each other. Adam was certainly not fearful of the animals. Everything was in true harmony. Read Genesis 9:2 to show the children that the animals were not fearful of man until after the flood. We will learn that this change occurred because of sin.

Point out that the harmony they see in this picture is not the harmony we see today. Obviously, something has happened to change the world. Tell them we are going to learn about what did happen and why the world is not in harmony today.

You could also have the children look up Isaiah 11:6-9. This passage tells us of a future time when the animals and man will all be in harmony again. Explain that this description fits with the picture they see in “D.” It also means that in addition to learning what happened to change the harmony that once existed, something else has happened so that this harmony will exist once again in the future.

We like to put it this way: In the future, "the wolf also shall dwell with the lamb…" which is how it was originally. However, today, the lamb “dwells” in the wolf some animals, including man, now eat other animals.

Make sure the children also recognize the dinosaurs beside Adam. This is to reinforce the fact that dinosaurs lived with people, since they were also made on the sixth day the same day that Adam and Eve were created.

Student Exercise

Have the children pretend they are Adam in the garden with all the animals, but with no other humans. Get them to look up the meaning of the word “lonely” in a dictionary. They can then write a page essay on what it would have been like for Adam to be lonely. Imagine, you are the only human in the world you are all alone how would you feel? Would you be sad? Would you be perplexed? Remember though, Adam was perfect he had not sinned yet, so his thoughts would not have been sinful thoughts.

Next, talk to the children about people who are lonely today. Perhaps you could organize a visit to a rest home or go to see some lonely people. Teach the children that God’s Word tells us to help others who are lonely and in need (Matthew 25:34-36,40; Luke 14:13-14).

Excerpt from A is for Adam. Used with permission from Answers in Genesis
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