The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name

In the Book of Revelation, John wrote: “For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book if any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.” (22:18-19; KJV). While this statement most likely refers only to that which is described in the Book of Revelation, specifically with the prophecy contained therein, I feel that one should always be hesitant when producing condensations of the Bible as a larger work.

Especially Bibles for children.

In the show more Jesus Storybook Bible, Sally Lloyd-Jones reinterprets pieces of the Bible to emphasize the similarities between some Old Testament events with their apparent analogues and fulfillment with Jesus. To make the stories approachable to a 4+ age group, she took several liberties that would cause many people to take a second glance before handing this over to their early reader without some parental oversight.

Sure, children don’t need to get all that Song of Songs stuff, or X knowing Y and begetting Z, but I found that some of the stories as well as many, if not all, of the paraphrases, did not do their baseline stories the necessary justice. For starters, the description of Abraham about to sacrifice Isaac, especially Isaac’s tacit acceptance of his father about to sacrifice him (basically indicating that he didn’t struggle and was quiet, because he knew his daddy loved him), could be misinterpreted by a child’s relationship with a relative or close friend of the family with less than reputable intentions.

Likewise, anything that seemed “too complicated” to put into a simple 2-3 page story was rent from the story. Not one mention of a single Judge appears, nor do important New Testament things like the resurrection of Lazarus. The book felt incomplete, even for being a bowdlerized Bible.

Lloyd-Jones seems to miss the point of a lot of the stories, especially with her paraphrases of things like the Lord’s Prayer and Psalm 23, opting to take out more difficult to understand concepts for the sake of placating children. Further, it incorporates unfounded aspects of Christian folklore into what is purported to be a “Bible,” such as the presence of the “Three Wise Men,” which is not founded on any Biblical teaching, as the only book of the Bible (the Book of Matthew) to mention them never identifies how many. I found this addition to be quite presumptive, especially for a book intended for impressionable young children.

In the end, this book, while not suitable for my young one due to the many glaring errors, omissions, and liberties taken, it may be suitable for your child, if you’re less about fidelity to the original work than you are about presenting stories of (and inspired by) the Bible in a child-friendly manner. I feel, though, that one should be mindful of the potentially indoctrinating input one provides a child who does not otherwise have a sturdy foundation upon which to set things unprovable such as religious beliefs. show less

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name is now a staple on my living room bookshelves. I love to read to my grandkids when they are visiting, and I can’t think of a better bedtime storybook! I love how this book showcases Jesus at the center of each story – and of our lives as well.

What I especially appreciate is that the stories aren’t simply retellings of stories in the Bible. They also help kids discover the true meanings behind the stories and how they apply to their lives.

With sturdy pages, colorful illustrations, and easy to understand narration, this thick hardcover storybook has a conversational tone and shares so many wonderful messages of love, mercy, forgiveness, salvation, and more. This is exactly show more the kind of storybook I would’ve loved as a child! A thoughtful gift for Christmas!

#CoverLoverBookReview received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions are 100% my own. show less

EVERYONE needs this book. Child. Adult. Believer. Nonbeliever. EVERYONE. Most beautifully written retelling of the Bible I have ever read. Each page nearly brings me to tears with the exquisite simplicity of the words she chose. Jesus in every page of the Bible. He's there. It's His story.

I love this book. The main purpose of this book is to help children understand the stories of the Bible by being reading level appropriate. The Bible's writing itself is hard for children to comprehend; sometimes, even for adults. “The Jesus Storybook Bible” does a wonderful job in telling the accounts of the Bible in a storybook telling kind of manner. For example, “They were once two sisters. The youngest sister was very beautiful and her name was Rachel.” The third person narrative of this book serves well with the storybook telling kind of manner. If there is one thing I could change about the book however, it would be to include more illustrations. Biblical stories have so many details that may be hard for children to grasp show more visually. However, I understand that the book was limited in illustrations because it includes over 50 stories of the Bible. All in all, I love this book for making the Bible easier for young readers. show less

Basically the best children's Bible we found. Well illustrated and Jesus-focused, only slightly preachy in tone. If you read one Bible for little kids, this is the one.

Beautifully written for a child’s heart and lavishly illustrated, this book tells the wonderful story of Jesus through the whole Bible in words so fresh and simple and moving they will speak to the child in each of us - the child who longs for the “Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love” of Christ. Highly recommended.

GORGEOUS children's bible... a joy for parent and child alike! A wonderful telling of the bible as a story... in simple, clear language. Ruby loves hearing 'chapters' every night!