Jehovah God is our Creator. He made everything, both the things we can see and the things we cannot see. Before he made the things we can see, he made many, many angels. Do you know what angels are? Angels are persons that Jehovah made who are like himself. We cannot see them, just as we cannot see God. The first angel Jehovah made became his helper. That angel helped when Jehovah made the stars, the planets, and all other things. One of those planets, the earth, is our beautiful home.

Then Jehovah got the earth ready for animals and humans to live on. He made the sun’s light shine on the earth. He made mountains, oceans, and rivers.

What happened next? Jehovah said: ‘I am going to make grass and plants and trees.’ Many different kinds of fruits, vegetables, and flowers began to grow. Then Jehovah made all the animals​—animals that fly, swim, crawl, and creep. He made small ones, such as rabbits, and large ones, such as elephants. What is your favorite animal?

Then Jehovah said to the first angel: “Let us make man.” Humans would be different from animals. They could invent things. They could speak, laugh, and pray. They would look after the earth and the animals. Do you know who the first man was? Let us see.

Jehovah planted a garden in a place called Eden. The garden was full of flowers, trees, and animals. Then God made the first man, Adam, out of dust and blew into his nostrils. Do you know what happened? The man became a living person! Jehovah put Adam in charge of the garden, and God told him to give names to all the animals.

Jehovah gave Adam an important rule. He told Adam: ‘You can eat fruit from all the trees except for one special tree. If you eat fruit from that tree, you will die.’

Later Jehovah said: ‘I am going to make a helper for Adam.’ He made Adam fall into a deep sleep, and then God used one of Adam’s ribs to create a wife for Adam. Her name was Eve. Adam and Eve became the first family. How did Adam feel about his new wife? Adam was so happy that he said: ‘Look at what Jehovah made from my rib! At last! This is someone like me.’

Jehovah told Adam and Eve to have children and fill the earth. He wanted them to enjoy working together to make the whole earth a paradise, or beautiful park, just like the garden of Eden. But things did not work out that way. Why not? We will learn more in the next chapter.