Thursday, February 17

When A Children's Book Makes You Cry

As the nanny of Miss Thing (my little lady who is 15 months old and has always known her own mind), I read a lot of board books. A lot.

Which is not a bad thing--I love to read, and as an author and book lover, I want to encourage children to read themselves.

But let's just say that one can only read Snuggle Puppy so many times without losing one's mind. And I'd like to stay as sane as possible, which put me on the hunt for books we can both enjoy.

Enter The Jesus Storybook Bible.

It's recommended for children 4 and up, but we've enjoyed it already. The pictures by Jago are colorful and detailed, and the book itself lives up to its subtitle: "Every story whispers his name." Sally Lloyd Jones weaves forty-four stories into a beautiful tapestry showcasing God's plan and His love for us in Jesus. (And unlike other storybook Bibles, she doesn't shy away from the difficult places--including Abraham's almost sacrifice of Isaac and Jesus' crucifixion).

Last week, Miss Thing and I were reading in the New Testament, and on two separate mornings, I began to cry as I read the stories to her. After she went down for a nap, I stole downstairs, book in hand, to curl up and read more myself.

This book isn't just for children, parents, and Sunday School workers. It's for anyone looking to see the beauty of God's plan. The overall picture is breathtaking, and the individual stories are worded simply and yet profoundly.

Now I have my own copy at home. So, I can remember truths like "And they were lovely because he loved them" and "Jesus was making the sad things come untrue" anytime I want to (p. 26 and 220, respectively).

Want to know more? Click here for The Jesus Storybook Bible website

4 comments:

Ronnica said...

That's a great book! I need my own copy, too, for my own reading enjoyment

Charity Tinnin said...

@Ronnica, I'm so glad I was introduced to it this year. After I bought my copy I sat down intending to read a little and ended up reading the whole thing through in one sitting. Talk about having an idea of the overall themes. I cried again. Such a great resource!

Rachel Tillie said...

Thanks so much for reviewing this book! We decided to get it for the girls along with another children's Bible (for younger children) by the same author. She's so talented at bringing to their level. :)

Charity Tinnin said...

@Rachel, I was going to ask you if the girls had it. If not, I wanted to give them a copy. I'm glad you guys are on it already :)