Customer Reviews

The Light of the World: The Life of Jesus for Children

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

François Roca is a renowned illustrator of over 30 children's books; his artistry is extraordinary. He lives in Paris, and subsequently most of the books he illustrates are written in French. When his beautiful illustrations on the life of Jesus were to be given English text, the publisher selected Katherine Paterson.

Unfortunate selection.

Ms. Paterson took it upon herself to change Jesus' words at the last supper to suit her own agenda.

Instead of children reading, "this is my body," they now get "this is LIKE my body." (Emphasis mine). Instead of reading, "this is my blood," they now get, "this is LIKE my blood."

What's next, "I am LIKE the light of the world"? "I am LIKE the savior"?

I bought this book to read to my daughters, based on the strength of a national reviewer's syndicated column, which, unfortunately, omitted Ms. Paterson's embroideries upon the text. I write this review to inform Christians of the writer's non-textual based insertions.

The Bible (King James version quoted below) is unambiguous regarding the words of Jesus at the last supper:

Mark 14:22 reads:

And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body.


Luke 22:19 reads:

And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me.


Matthew 26:26 reads:

And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body.


John 6:52-55 reads:

The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of the Son of man, and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Whoso eateth my flesh, and drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink indeed.


John 6:58 reads:

This is that bread which came down from heaven; not as your fathers did eat manna and are dead: he that eateth of this bread shall live for ever.


1 Cor. 11:27-29 reads:

"Wherefore whosoever shall eat this bread, and drink this cup of the Lord, unworthily, shall be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord." But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup. For he that eateth and drinketh unworthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body.


Suffice it to say Ms. Paterson's additions to Jesus' words will be offensive to Catholics such as myself, and ruin an otherwise gorgeous publication. But I would suspect that non-Catholic Christians who consider scripture sacred, particularly the words of Jesus being read to children, will likewise appreciate being informed when a writer decides to augment Jesus' words.

If you buy this book for the beautiful illustrations, it would be truer to sacred scripture to white out Ms. Paterson's additions to Jesus' words.

This book is beautiful - in terms of artwork, and the story is simple and straightforward. As a Catholic, however, I was disappointed that at the last supper Jesus says the bread is "like" His body, and the wine is "like" His blood... My faith doesn't teach that the bread is "like" His body, but IS His body. So even though the book is beautiful, I won't be reading it (or I'll be editing how I read it) to my kids.

This is an absolutely stunning book about the life of Jesus! There is rich imagery in the text and the illustrations are gorgeous. I am so pleased that Jesus is not depicted as Caucasian. The birth of Jesus, his ministry on earth, his death and resurrection are truly written by a gifted author! I am purchasing copies for all of my grandchildren and families in our church. Children through grade school will find this book meaningful.

This Is an excellent version of the story of jesus.It is told In a way that will appeal to children and adults also. Beautiful artwork enhances the book, and I love the fact that jesus is portrayed as semitic rather than european.Go and purchase this book for your children, you won't be dissapointed.

I stumbled upon this book today and am very excited about it. Its a fantastic book for children, very well written, beautifully illustrated. As a mom, a Christian, and someone who studies the world's faiths and religions as a hobby, I'm very picky about the "Christian" books I buy for my children. This one I recommend wholeheartedly. Not only is it a fantastic book about Jesus for kids, I'd say its one of the best books about Christianity period! I'm very grateful to have found this book.

This is only the second review I've ever done, so that should say something about my excitement!

Katherine Paterson has written an excellent description of the life of Jesus in language that is accessible to children. The wonder is that the information is completely Biblical and inspiring to read even for children. This is a wonderful gift for any child up through third grade. The illustrator has captured the emotion displayed in the eyes of the people throughout the book with great skill. I love the image of "light of the world" which follows throughout the telling. A fabulous book!

I wish I had read all the review here before ordering this book - the text not only minimizes/mischaracterizes the meaning of the Eucharist (as mentioned by the Catholic reviewers) but also the divinity of Jesus - a major issue for all Christians!! I will not be keeping or gifting this book.

This would probably be an acceptable book for Unitarian/Universalists or others along those theological lines, but not Christians.

The artwork IS lovely - too bad the text does not do it justice.

Except for the HUGE FACT that this author misquotes the bible and Jesus's words from scripture, the story itself is good for children. I have already whited out the WRONG words that the author used to describe what Jesus said at the Mystical Supper...This Is my body and This IS my blood. Shame on this author for changing the words and watering down the truth!

Newbery Medalist Katherine Paterson pairs with illustrator Francois Roca to provide an artistic display of the life of Jesus in The Light of the World. A simple review of Jesus' life story is presented for young picturebook readers and makes for a perfect introduction for families looking at easy picturebooks to get kids started on the Bible.

Katherine Paterson has long been one of my favorite authors. When I came across this book, I knew I had to have it for the toddlers in my Sunday School class. I love that the story isn't 'cutesy' or watered-down. My only wish is that the beautiful illustrations were less someber. Jesus IS the light of the Wrold, but the images are a little dark for the age group, although beautiful. My 5 year old son also loves the book and we read it regularly at bedtime.