Customer Reviews

Jesus Storybook Bible Deluxe Edition

5 star:		(78)
4 star:		(4)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

As a grandmother of six, I'm always on the search for edifying Christ-centered material, which is why I bought the Jesus Storybook Bible for my little darlings...Then I heard David Suchet's reading of it and this wonderful book, which had already earned a "Wow!" from me got another really big "Wow!"...and so, it's a good thing that I can order with one-click because I ordered copies for the kids (again!) and for my pal the preschool teacher and for...and for...
Really, Suchet's readings made these stories spring to life and I've put them on my MP3 player and listen in the grocery store and at night when I can't sleep and when I'm on the airplane and need to be reminded of God's great love for me in Christ Jesus, my Rescuer.
You really must get this -- even if you don't have little ones. The child He calls you as needs to hear the story again and again.

I got this last week and we've been listening to the stories in the car. Everyone is captivated! The car gets so quiet so we can all listen (adults and kids alike). The narrator did a wonderful job. I've given out well over a dozen copies of the Jesus Storybook Bible and now I will most definitely switch to buying and gifting the Deluxe Edition.

This Bible was recommended to me by a friend, and I'm so glad I bought it. There are so many different Bibles for kids, and it's hard to know which ones to buy. This one is fantastic! It's written in a way that kids understand and has wonderful illustrations.

The Deluxe Edition is a complete package of the reading on CDs and a read-along book. And, since we've put the girls to bed and down for naps with books on CDs since they were old enough to hold the book, I knew this set would be right up their alley. I must admit that when I received the book, just before Christmas, I set Emma up with the book and CD's and saved my reading with her for something that she couldn't do on her own. However, when I picked the book up to review, I decided that it was something that we needed to read together.

It is a nice bonus that the reader is David Suchet, one of Great Britain's most distinguished actors, best known for playing Agatha Christie's super-sleuth, Hercule Poirot. Since Emma finds a British accent as one of the upmost pleasurable things in life (apparently all princesses have British accents), she was hooked upon hearing the first lines of the introduction..

Illustrated by award winning, Jago, the illustrations are whimsical interpretations that serve to help bring the stories alive. While I know that illustrations are an important part of wrapping children into a book, personally, I am typically drawn to the words without paying much attention to the illustrations. However, Jago's illustrations are so truly captivating and compliment the story so well, that I found myself reading the story through the pictures before I even began reading the words. I also found myself flipping back through to admire his artwork (something I do very rarely).

Those elements alone are worth the cost of the book. But, most surprisingly, I found the most beautiful description of the way that I want my children to view the Bible, right within the first pages of the book.

It's taken all of my will power not to write the whole introduction right here and now. But, please allow me to share just a couple of pieces in which Sally Lloyd-Jones seemed to have looked straight into my heart and somehow put the passion that I have for my children to know God as a loving and compassionate father into words that I had not yet found.

Sally Lloyd-Jones writes:
"The Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done."

"Now, some people think the Bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.

Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose), they get afraid and run away. At times, they're downright mean.

No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leaves his palace, his throne-everything-to rescues the ones he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life".

I completely agree with Dr. Tim Keller's endorsement of the book below:

"I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian--from pew warmers, to ministry leaders, seminarians and even theologians! Sally Lloyd-Jones has captured the heart of what it means to find Christ in all the scriptures, and has made clear even to little children that all God's revelation has been about Jesus from the beginning--a truth not all that commonly recognized even among the very learned." -- Dr. Tim Keller, Redeemer, NY, NY

This is truly the best children's devotional Bible we've found, and we've searched high and low. This book brings Jesus to the forefront of every Bible story in unique ways (all very Scriptural), from Genesis to Revelations. We've read it cover to cover no less than five times, and our children look forward to it every night. They each have their favorite stories and frequently request them. I'm amazed at the biblical truths my 5- and 3-year-olds have picked up from listening to these sweet devotionals. And I must say that the stories speak to Mom and Dad, too. I've found my heart touched, my spirit lifted, and my mind convicted quite a few times while reading this book to my children. We love it so much that we've purchased a second copy just in case our first copy wears out. Get it. You won't regret it.

One word...."WOW"!
Absolutely captivating, outstanding and beautifully illustrated.
Even after reading through the reviews did I expect it to be so mesmerizing!!
It comes with 3 Cd's in a gorgeous case and the hardcover book with a lovely blue ribbon marker so you don't loose your place, it also has a lovely case to keep both the book and Cd's in. The book is 348 beautifully illustrated pages for children and not just paper but a type of very thin acrylic so you don't stain them with dirty fingers. My grandsons and I are able to enjoy the deluxe edition as we can sit together listening to the CD while we go along with it to the pages, we'll have close time now! You will definitely not be disappointed you really need to buy this, it's well under priced, it's truly a godsend! I also have to give credit to Amazon as I ordered it and the very next day it was at my doorstep! Wow, best purchase I have ever made!!

My son is a little over a year old now. One of the things I most looked forward to about becoming a dad was the chance to share the truth about God and Christ with my children through the scriptures. As we asked around, we kept hearing about The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones. Everyone (even some friends of ours who didn't even have kids yet) said it was an amazing Bible. We picked up a copy for ourselves, and I then had the opportunity to get a deluxe edition from the publisher. Based on everything I'd heard, I jumped at the chance.

The first thing that struck me about the Bible was the subtitle, "Every Story Whispers His Name." All Christians have likely heard at some point that all of the Bible, the Old Testament sacrifices, the prophets, the Psalms, all of it, points to Christ. This is true, but many people have never connected a lot of the dots. As I began working through The Storybook Bible, I was amazed at how clear these connections to Jesus were made through every story. From the Fall, the Flood, the sacrificial system...every story is about Christ in some way. I can understand why some of my friends have used the Bible for themselves even though they don't have kids. Truths are illuminated in The Storybook Bible in such a clear way that this would make a good devotional even for adults.

But, of course, its purpose is to make the truths of scripture clear to children. Being that my son is just over one year old, he obviously doesn't understand when we read the stories to him yet (and we don't turn the pages quite fast enough for him, either). I can already tell, though, what a blessing this book will be for my family. During Christmas this year, my brother-in-law read aloud the Christmas stories from the book to our whole family (they have a 4-year-old who understands the stories and enjoys them). I was deeply moved by the explanations of what Christ was doing by incarnating. The stories are made simple, and the simplicity magnifies their profound qualities. It's basically like being given the faith of a child again.

The main differences in the deluxe edition versus the original edition are that the cover is different and it comes with 3 CDs of the audio narrative. I didn't spend a ton of time listening to the audio, but the voiceover works great for kids to listen themselves. I think, however, the power of this book is experiencing it as a family with your children by reading to them. I can't wait for the day my son can understand the truths the book explains and depicts so well.

We received The Jesus Storybook Bible as a gift a few months ago and I've been reading it to my children every night. Overall the book is excellent. Most children's storybooks tend to treat the Biblical stories (especially the Old Testament ones) as if they are primarily moral lessons. But The Jesus Storybook Bible shows us how all the stories point to Jesus. The book does a good job of communicating deep theological truths to children in an interesting way. The book is written by a Presbyterian and so I did have some problems with the way that the book presented the sacraments (Zwinglian). I ended up rewording some of the sentences when I read them to the children. There were some other problems I had with the way certain things were worded but overall the book is far better than most Bible storybooks and is at least a step in the right direction when teaching children how to read the Bible. Unfortunately most pastors don't seem to realize that the Bible is all about Jesus so I guess its no surprise that most Bible storybooks wouldn't get it either.

I echo Mr. Weise's words in another four star review (the only at the time of this writing). We just finished reading this to our children and I am impressed with much of it. The most amazing part of the book is that it shows how everything in the Word of God points to Christ! It's really ALL about Jesus! John 1:1 says that from the beginning was the Word, and the Word was WITH God, and the Word was God! Genesis 1:26 talks about making man in OUR image. Who exactly is "our"? :) There are several other examples like that sprinkled in scripture.

Sadly, most professing Christians don't realize that everything points to Christ. Even among Creation, we see how it all points to Christ. Everything absolutely points to Him. (In case I didn't make that clear...just kidding.)

That's what is exciting about this book from Sally Lloyd-Jones, because we finally have a storybook that more accurately portrays that message from the Word of God in a teachable way for children! There were some stories that the way it was told, we didn't see the story from that perspective before, because I didn't know those little tid bits from history of that time. So that was wonderful, even for us as adults. :)

Another great aspect of this book are the most beautifully done photos! They are rich in color that captivates the whole family's attention. Well done, Jago!

The narrator for the CDs does a fabulous job of narrating!! We just love listening to the stories in the car. Not to mention, it makes for a peaceful ride, because everyone is so captivated by the stories and voice of the narrator, David Suchet, we all listen intently. The audio CD idea was a wonderful addition to this book and worth the slightly extra cost!

Aside from those wonderful aspects of the book, Sally Lloyd-Jones comes from a minor different theological belief than we do, and so we had to further explain things to our children in the way we understand the scripture to teach. SLJ comes from a reformed Presbyterian background, while we tend to be reformed Baptists. Very minor differences and certainly nothing we would ever break fellowship over with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ, so I still highly recommend this book. As with any book, parents should be in the scriptures themselves, studying the Word of God, so they can teach their children the truth of God's Word. We study the text ahead of time, preferably, and teach more in our time of family worship.

Additionally, I did feel SLJ could have used the words of Jesus, rather than "sugarcoating" some of the text to make it more "child-friendly". Children are able to grasp more than we give them credit for. Plus, when the adult reads from the actual Word of God, they learn to understand those words, and so any children's book should continue with those words, but preferrably with a child-friendly explanation of the word/text. That's just me. I tend to like Bible storybook: A complete narration from Genesis to Revelation for young and old, because of this. While I had to do the same with the wording in that book, as I do with this one, it was also written at the turn of the last century, so it is to be expected. SLJs book is more of a storybook Bible to show that every story does whisper His name, but Egermeirer's book is a storybook of the whole Bible, so I think both are an equally wonderful addition to reading the Bible with your children. If only I could bring both strengths of each book together...maybe I should write a children's storybook Bible? :) (As if I had the time...)

Overall, I absolutely recommend this book and especially recommend getting the CD edition, rather than just the book! :)

This story is fantastic for showing the connection of both Old and New Testaments, as well as explaining that there was a plan from the beginning for everything from Genesis to Revelations. My husband and I read a story a night as part of our bedtime routine with our children, and have even gained new incite to the message of scripture ourselves. I love that it is written so simply, yet with great meaning and depth. We own many (as I love to sit in the kids section of our local Lifeway and check them over for hours) Bible story books, but none compare to the flow and purposefulness of this one. It is a must have!