The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name (Hardcover)

by Sally Lloyd-Jones (Author), Jago (Illustrator)

Editorial Reviews

Review
"A unique resource for communicating the gospel to children in all it's fullness." -- Kathy Keller, Redeemer Church Parenting Newsletter, NYC, Feb 2007

"I would urge not just families with young children to get this book, but every Christian" -- Dr Tim Keller, Redeemer Presbyterian Church, NYC, Feb 2007

"It has turned out to be what all of us in the store suspected when we first saw it: the kind of children's Bible storybook for which many, many thoughtful Christian parents have been waiting." -- WESTMINSTER THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY BOOKSTORE

The Jesus Storybook Bible is unlike any other storybook. True, that's to be expected when you combine the mesmerizing illustrations of Jago and the award-winning writing of Sally Lloyd-Jones, a Brit with an uncanny knack for storytelling. Not only is each story as vividly illustrated as it is portrayed, but also each tale is telling one Big Story--the Story of Jesus. Even the Old Testament stories of `The young hero and the horrible giant' and `Daniel and the scary sleepover' come full circle to Jesus, the greatest Hero, King, Lover and Rescuer the world has ever known. -- More to Life Magazine, May 2007

Review
“The Jesus Storybook Bible is unlike any other storybook. True, that’s to be expected when you combine the mesmerizing illustrations of Jago and the award-winning writing of Sally Lloyd-Jones, a Brit with an uncanny knack for storytelling. Not only is each story as vividly illustrated as it is portrayed, but also each tale is telling one Big Story—the Story of Jesus. Even the Old Testament stories of ‘The young hero and the horrible giant’ and ‘Daniel and the scary sleepover’ come full circle to Jesus, the greatest Hero, King, Lover and Rescuer the world has ever known. — More to Life Magazine

(More to Life Magazine )

"'The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name' disproves the adage that you can't judge a book by its cover. Jago's award-winning cover art is a foretaste of the whimsically insightful and richly colored drawings that await you on every one of the book's 351 pages. The illustrations alone are worth the price of the book….Jago the illustrator, and Sally Lloyd-Jones the author, are a good pair. She brings the same creativity and sense of humor to her telling of the Bible's stories….But Lloyd-Jones's writing isn't cutesy. She has a grasp of the profound. How does one explain to a child the agony of Jesus in Gethsemane, and his prayer of surrender to his Father? Lloyd-Jones does it as well as any biblical commentator….The title and subtitle are even better than the book's delightful illustrations and narrative -- because they provide, in one deft stroke, the interpretive key that unlocks the meaning of the whole Bible. 'The Jesus Storybook Bible' says it all: The Scriptures are not merely a collection of stories designed to teach moral lessons. As Jesus explained to the men walking the road to Emmaus on Resurrection Sunday, the whole Bible is about Jesus. In the words of the subtitle, every story whispers his name….Lloyd-Jones manages to show again and again the presence of Christ in all the Old Testament Scriptures, and the presence of the Old Testament Scriptures in the life of Christ." — Christianity Today

(Christianity Today )

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4-8
  
• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: ZonderKidz (March 1, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0310708257
• ISBN-13: 978-0310708254
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 6.5 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (133 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #503 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

171 of 185 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Brilliant idea - let down by the drawings and some inaccuracies, December 23, 2007

By	Mark Loughridge (Letterkenny, Ireland) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

As I pastor I've just finished preaching an overview of the bible - I'm passionate about gettting people to see the big picture. So I was really excited to see this for children. The idea is superb, the tying every story to Jesus is magnificent. Our 4 year old daughter has started seeing the connections already. And that excites me. I love how it fits every story in with the plot-line of the bible.

However I have a couple of caveats.

Since children get so much from imagery I was really disappointed with the artwork. The quality is great, but the content very poor, and underscores misconceptions of the bible, actually making the bible look less believable. Noah's ark is shown balancing precariously on the pinnacle of the mountain, as well as being that silly shape that it is often drawn - nothing like the proportions given in the bible. Jericho is a five house town - not much of a conquest there. Goliath is make to look like a gruesome ogre of fairytale proportions. The people of Israel coming to the Red Sea look like a small Sunday school outing rather than 1.5 million people making the exodus. I could go on. For me, the pictures undermine the very thing the words are seeking to do - they push the stories into the realm of fairy tales.

(A far better set of illustrations are by Gail Schoonmaker in the The Big Picture Story Bible written by David Helm.)

The other caveat is that sometimes Lloyd-Jones is a little loose to the story, making up things that aren't in the passage. For example - Jesus being bathed in a golden light at his baptism, there being three wise men, Jesus winking at the boy who brought the 5 loaves and saying "watch this" and others. It's little things like she says Jacob had to wait 7 years to marry Rachel instead of just a week, like God creating by saying "Hello Light", like using "Papa" for Father - a word which doesn't carry the same connotations as Abba. Like the feeding of the '5000 people', rather than 5000 men, plus a lot more women and children. Like Jesus playing games with children. Like Zacchaeus being so small that he had to take a flying leap to get up into his chair for breakfast.

In one sense they're small things, and it is in the style of other children's books. And therein lies the problem - the bible isn't another children's book. It's true in every detail - so when it comes to a Children's version of the Bible, it should be true in every detail. We owe that to our kids.

I'd prefer not to have to edit the story as I tell it. Growing up, we had the Child's Story Bible by Catherine Vos read to us. Time and time again when we thought she was stretching the text, when we looked up our bibles we found she was exactly right. Since we read it so many times, a vast quantity of accurate bible knowledge was imbibed. That's what I look for in a children's bible.

Having said all that - the links to Jesus often make you stop and praise God for Jesus. We've read it following on from the aforementioned Big Picture Story Bible - which I would heartily recommend. And that's probably the best way - read it along with other children's bibles and correct it as you go.

Looking forward to the revised edition of this potentially tremendous asset.

55 of 57 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Your Family Needs This!, July 11, 2007

By	Kristen Stewart (Under the Mountain) - See all my reviews

I love every aspect of this Bible. The illustrations by Jago are both charming and intriguing. There are about fifty stories, a good balance. The text itself is exactly what I want my children to hear, theologically. I love this line from the very first chapter. "The Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done." AMEN.

The subtitle is "Every Story Whispers His Name" and indeed, every story does. "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... You see, the best thing about this Story is -- it's true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them."

She goes on to say that the center of the story is a baby who is like the missing piece to a puzzle that makes all the other pieces fit together, and to reveal the beautiful picture. She stays true to this aim, pointing to Christ with every story, helping children to see the whispers of redemption through it all. If you buy just one Children's Story Bible, I'd commend this one to you.

26 of 27 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Hard To Get Better Than This, March 9, 2007

By	itsjustme (USA) - See all my reviews

In Sally Lloyd-Jones' unique, kid-friendly style, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells 43 Bible stories from the book of Genesis through Revelation. But this book is more than a mere collection of Bible stories. Each story in some way relates to Jesus and who he is, giving children the big picture of what God is all about.

What I Like: Sally Lloyd-Jones has a unique gift for writing for children. Her sense of humor is spinkled throughout - and does not detract from the importance of the Bible's message. I also appreciate the author's clear understanding that parents must help children understand that Bible stories are different from fairy tales. As she says: "You see, the best thing about this story is--it's true. It takes the whole Bible to tell this story. And at the center of the story there is a baby. Every story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in a puzzle--the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture." The illustrations by award-winning artist Jago are also engaging, colorful, and often look beyond the obvious.


What I Dislike: Nothing.


Overall Rating: Excellent.


Age Appeal: 4 - 8.

Kristina, Editor at "Christian Children's Book Review"