The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name

I bought this book for my 4-year-old daughter after hearing the author read an excerpt on FamilyLife Radio. I was mesmerized by her British accent, and my daughter's first Bible was starting to fall apart. The whole family loves the Jesus Storybook Bible. Each story is thoughtfully told with explanations little ones can understand. My daughter's favorite story at the moment is "The Sun Stops Shining," which is the account of Jesus's crucifixion. When the soldiers mocked Jesus, saying he could climb down from the cross, the story says, "And of course they were right. Jesus could have just climbed down. Actually, he could have just said a word and made it all stop. Like when he healed that little girl. And stilled the storm. And fed 5,000 people. But Jesus stayed. You see, they didn't understand. It wasn't the nails that kept Jesus there. It was love." Add the charming, colorful illustrations, and this is truly a winner of a book.

I am so excited about The Jesus Storybook Bible. I understand that at least one of the reviewers was a little disappointed at some of the inaccuracies in the text, and I understand that viewpoint; however, as a "big picture" purchase, I think this is one of the best children's Bibles on the market.

So few people can manage to take Bible stories and share them in a way that is both interesting and understandable to children. They don't get nuances that we, as adults, may understand (In the beginning was the Word and the Word was with God and the Word was God--try explaining this to a 3 year old and getting them to follow you). What the Jesus Storybook Bible enables many to do is show children that Jesus is not a "Plan B" in God's book. He was always part of the plan to save the world from sin.

The inaccuracies pointed to by earlier reviewers can be overlooked (in my humble opinion) due to the fact that Lloyd-Jones really tries to focus on Jesus' role overall. She is not shy about pointing to Him in each and every story...and, again in my humble opinion, is pretty clear about Jesus as the only Salvation for mankind.

On a side note, I really enjoyed the illustrations. I thought they were beautiful, captivating depictions of Bible stories. Frankly, most of the children who have read this book with me think it's perfectly plausible that the ark came to rest on top of a pointed mountain (and why couldn't that happen??). A Sunday School teacher in my church actually painted some of the pictures on a wall in his room because his kids enjoyed them so much. And, allow me to say, I am SO excited that Jesus is not a blond-haired, blue-eyed, Aryan in this book!!!

To sum it up, if you have young children and you are trying to stress the importance of Jesus and the fact that He was God's plan from the very beginning, this is a great addition to your library. It is also a helpful resource for older people (teenagers and up) who have not been in church from birth (and who may have reading difficulties, etc.). It's a way to get them started on the beautiful fact that it all points to Christ.

It's the big-picture view of the Bible. Perfect for children 6+. Not meant for toddlers, or as a "Baby's First."

Both my husband and I love this Bible for our two year old. We had tried several but was disappointed with the theology. This Bible is right on track regarding sin and God's unconditional love. Not to mention that the artwork is inspiring yet simple. I'm encouraged in my faith just by reading this to my son. I can't wait to read it to my other son who is only 2 months. And I've been buying this Bible for all of my friends kids and my nieces and nephews. I would recommend this as a must have for any child.

As a rule, I don't like Bible storybooks. Usually they're so watered down and fluffy that they're pretty useless for actually teaching children about God and his plan for Christ and his people. So when I saw a review of this book that talked about it being a book that doesn't shirk on theology, I was intrigued. After reading the story of Adam and Eve and the fall via a link to the book, I was in tears. It was the most touching, inspiring telling of the story I'd ever read -- for adults or children. I immediately ordered two copies: one for us, and one for my younger children's best friend.

The entire book is incredible. It takes major stories from the Bible -- including ones not normally included in children's books like the Tower of Babel -- and show how everything ties back to God's plan to redeem his people through Christ. Every story works as a stand-alone, but it's better read through from beginning to end as they all build on one another, continually pointing to Christ and God's redemptive plan.

In addition, the illustrations are stunning. I've never seen any of this illustrator's other books, but I plan to find some. The way he chose to represent some of the stories -- including making you turn the book "long-ways" to visually show how tall the Tower of Babel was -- is ingenious.

I plan to buy MORE copies of this book to give away, and I talk it up to people all the time. If I could give it six stars, I would.