The Jesus Storybook Bible -Every Story Whispers his name
Looks like a great book (published by ZonderKids 2007)

From the back cover:

“The Jesus Storybook tells the Story beneath all stories in the Bible. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story.... the book invites children to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the centre of God’s story of salavtion-and at the centre of their story, too.”

It looks like -biblical theology for kids (and adults). I have just got my copy Has anyone used this material? Any comments?

Haven’t seen it or heard about it - why not post up a review when you have finished it? Looks interesting…

Hi Roger? Related to Peter?

I’m impressed with The Big Picture Story Bible , which you can view part of at the Crossway site I’ve linked.

Some people say it’s Graeme Goldsworthy for kids! I bought a copy for my favourite grandson [which is OK, cos I’ve only got one ... at least until the end of April] and my daughter has commented that it doesn’t have as many stories as some children’s bibles, though it is over 400 pages long.

But it has big pictures and, of course, is intended to give the big picture of God’s dealings with us from Creation to the New Creation.

Hope to read it to Jerome myself one day, though maybe not all of it!

just picked it up David. Very good from what I can see.
Looks good, gives the big thread of the bible - kids love it. Selling like hotcakes apparantly

[quote author="Shane Rogerson"]just picked it up David. Very good from what I can see.
Looks good, gives the big thread of the bible - kids love it. Selling like hotcakes apparantly

Sadly, my kids are too old for this - a shame…

sampler

A sampler for the book can be found here

[quote author="Craig Schwarze"][quote author="Shane Rogerson"]just picked it up David. Very good from what I can see.
Looks good, gives the big thread of the bible - kids love it. Selling like hotcakes apparantly

Sadly, my kids are too old for this - a shame…

Perhaps prayer that Sunday School teachers, youth leaders & other leaders might teach biblical theology when working with children and young people is in order?

TZ.

Re: The Jesus Storybook Bible -Every Story Whispers his name

[quote author="Roger Bray"]The Jesus Storybook Bible -Every Story Whispers his name
Looks like a great book (published by ZonderKids 2007)

From the back cover:

“The Jesus Storybook tells the Story beneath all stories in the Bible. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story.... the book invites children to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the centre of God’s story of salavtion-and at the centre of their story, too.”

Any relation to Martyn?

I had a brief look at the sampler - seems to aimed at middle-upper primary?
It’s a bit hard to evaluate it from just the two stories - for instance, is the choosing of David the only story about King David? If that were so then I would have thought there were better incidents from David’s life to point towards Jesus kingship, than just a common birthplace.
But at least the comparison that is drawn is between David and Jesus, and not David and me.

Had a quick look at the samples of the Big Picture Story Book
Oooooo, it has Hebrew!
It seems to be aimed at slightly younger kids?
How does it make the connections to Jesus? The OT example was ‘creation’, which was a good retelling of the creation account, but didn’t mention Jesus at all in the bit shown, even though he is the true “image of God”.

It seem to me that one of the difficulties these books face is the tension between maintaining the narrative integrity of the Bible’s “story” or always jumping forward to the climax of the story.
How do these two kids’ books deal with that?
Has anyone taken them for a test drive with their intended audience?

G’day Mark.

I don’t think the Big Picture Story Bible needs to jump forward to Jesus in telling the story of Creation, and I don’t think it does so.

I bought a copy for my daughter and our grandson [soon to be 2 grandchildren!] and I think she is happy with it.

Graeme Goldsworthy has given it the thumbs up, I see.

I’ve been using ‘The Big Picture Story Bible’ written by David Helm for about a year with my 4 year old and 7 year old.  It was a gift from Dani Treweek after she used it with her Sunday School.

I think it very carefully points out that God will send a ‘Forever King’ to rescue his people.  The book builds the tension that is present in the bible about who will rescue God’s people.  For example; in the story of the fall it says; “God promised that one day someone would come and crush Satan’s power over people.” And shows a picture of a man crushing a serpent wearing a cloth, with his arms out stretched.

In the story of David the book covers the promise in 2 Samuel 7 saying;
“God promised David that someone from his family would live forever as God’s king.” And shows the same man as in the fall promise with outstretch arms but this time dressed as a king.

When it gets to Solomon the writer asks the reader: “Does this make you wonder if Solomon might be God’s forever king?  Could he be the Promised One to bring God’s blessings to everyone?”

This tension is continued through a summary of the prophets giving the clues about the forever King, with the picture of the glorious king from the promise to David.

In summary I think the book finds Jesus throughout the Bible but doesn’t say who he is until Jesus is born.  Just the way the Bible does, however what it does really well is focus on the saviour from beginning to end and does what any good preacher does, helps us see God as the rescuerer of our souls.

Thax <><

Re: The Jesus Storybook Bible -Every Story Whispers his name

[quote author="Mark Williamson"][quote author="Roger Bray"]The Jesus Storybook Bible -Every Story Whispers his name
Looks like a great book (published by ZonderKids 2007)

From the back cover:

“The Jesus Storybook tells the Story beneath all stories in the Bible. It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story.... the book invites children to discover for themselves that Jesus is at the centre of God’s story of salavtion-and at the centre of their story, too.”

Any relation to Martyn?

I had a brief look at the sampler - seems to aimed at middle-upper primary?
It’s a bit hard to evaluate it from just the two stories - for instance, is the choosing of David the only story about King David? If that were so then I would have thought there were better incidents from David’s life to point towards Jesus kingship, than just a common birthplace.
But at least the comparison that is drawn is between David and Jesus, and not David and me.

Had a quick look at the samples of the Big Picture Story Book
Oooooo, it has Hebrew!
It seems to be aimed at slightly younger kids?
How does it make the connections to Jesus? The OT example was ‘creation’, which was a good retelling of the creation account, but didn’t mention Jesus at all in the bit shown, even though he is the true “image of God”.

It seem to me that one of the difficulties these books face is the tension between maintaining the narrative integrity of the Bible’s “story” or always jumping forward to the climax of the story.
How do these two kids’ books deal with that?
Has anyone taken them for a test drive with their intended audience?

Mark,

You are right the book is aimed at 4-8yrs and I am currently having it taken for a test drive-I will let you know how it goes. David and Goliath and David the Shepherd-psalm 23 are also included. As regards the tension you mention -this is one of the reasons I have liked it so far. The OT stories seem to build a framework of thinking (in preperation for the climax) while maitaining (over all) the narrative intergrity of the Bible’s “story”.

More investigation is needed -so I am interested in what people have to say.

Re: The Jesus Storybook Bible -Every Story Whispers his name

[quote author="Roger Bray"]

More investigation is needed -so I am interested in what people have to say.

I love it. I read it regularly with my (newly) 3 year old daughter. We know now to ask “could he be the forever king?”

The book’s beauty is in it’s faithfulness to the metanarrative. Far too many childrens’ bibles are just a set of stories with no indication of the overall theme. But TBPSB is far better. And I love taking time on the details in the illustrations. Often the Biblical Theology is reinforced with detail in the pictures for those that have eyes to see…

Hi David
Ask your daughter if she spots any anachronisms in the pictures.
Some one told me there are a few.

Sounds like a great book.

Hope I can read to my grandson from it, soon.
David McKay

[quote author="David McKay"]Hi David
Ask your daughter if she spots any anachronisms in the pictures.
Some one told me there are a few.

I haven’t, sorry, “Charis” hasn’t seen any yet. Any specifics?

I think someone found Adam’s Ipod a bit off-putting ... just joking!