Illustrated by Don Clark
(Crossway, 2015), hb. 129 pp.
Ages 5+
This is a wonderful book! I enjoyed it and
my kids enjoyed it, begging for us to read more. I am already committed to the
idea of grasping the overall storyline of Scripture, and we’ve read other books
that pursue this line. One of the real encouraging things I see is the increase
of discussion of this idea and particularly the fact that this is showing up in
children’s books (which means more parents might actually read it as well!).
DeYoung does a great job of presenting the
unified story of Scripture and how it points to Christ. Reading this reminded
me of how I often heard OT stories as a child- holding up the human hero so
that we aspired to be like him and regretting those times people failed to live
up to such a standard. It wasn’t until seminary that it hit me that Israel
never even came close to living up to the Law. That throws a wrench in things
when you read the stories as I’d been accustomed. With books like this, our
children can understand from their earliest days that the repeated failure of
people is not a surprise but points us to our need of a Greater One to come.
We talk a good bit about the big story of
Scripture in our home and in the churches our kids have grown up in. However,
when we came to the discussion of Gen 3:15, my younger two (to whom I was
reading this book) did not know who this “snake crusher” might be- I
continually find areas where, having taught things to my older children, I
wrongfully assume I’ve taught it to my younger ones as well! But this led to a
wonderful moment. The book makes the point that no one knew who this person
would be. My children began to discuss the point and to make guesses. My
daughter said, “I wonder who that will be?” They ran through a list of
possibilities but weren’t satisfied with them. My son then suggested David
(that’s his middle name as well!), and they agreed he was a real possibility. I
nudged them to notice troubles with David, and then it was beautiful to see the
lights come on in their eyes and to hear them almost shout, “Oh! It’s Jesus!”
Exactly. That moment was worth it by itself.
I must also mention the artwork by Don
Clark. Honestly, I didn’t expect much from the illustrations before opening the
book. But I noticed right away that he was nicely using some standard symbolism
to tie into the biblical themes. This led to us pausing at the beginning of each
new chapter to consider the pictures and think together what they might mean. This
added an interactive element which was a lot of fun and enhanced the learning.
This is one example where the artwork significantly added to the book.
I guess it is obvious that we really
enjoyed this book. In fact, I’m considering requiring it for my college OT
Survey class next year (since this year has already started). I use some children’s
books along the way- the novelty of it catches their attention. And, this is so
well done, I think it might be a simple way of helping them catch the big
picture I’m trying to show them throughout the semester.
This is a wonderful book, and I encourage
every Christian family to get a copy and read it together. This is one to give
away, place in the church library and even use in outreach. I remain convinced
that one of the best ways to get sound theology to young parents is by giving
them solid things to read with their kids. This is a great tool in that regard.
Labels: Bible
