… this is my greatest parenting purpose… sharing the love and salvation of Christ with my children.
My desire is that our daily lives are infused with a spiritual outlook that points the way to God. It’s not always easy in a busy world where everyday life vies for our attention in so many different ways. We sing Bible songs after dinner, and read Bible story books to our son. Sometimes I read him passages from the actual scriptures although he has no idea what I’m reading. 
And then I discovered The Jesus Storybook Bible. (Written by Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by Jago; published by Zonderkidz). I had no idea how much I was going to love, love, love this book. I brought it along for the 5-hour drive to our campsite this summer. I started reading to myself. But within a few pages, I stopped, turned to my husband and said, “I have to read this aloud to you! It is so beautifully written, you need to hear it.” And so I began, and read for nearly an hour. Sometimes I had to stop and exclaim over the poetic phrases, or catch my breath (and a tear) at the message of some stories. If it sounds like I’m gushing… maybe I am, but I think this book truly deserves to be gushed over.
Truly, all 44 stories in this book “whisper his name.” Interwoven through every story is the truth that God loves us with a “Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love.”
In lyrical writing that is nearly breathtaking in its literary skill, I read from Creation to the Cross to the Coming of Christ. Every story is detailed, connecting to other Bible stories in a way that vividly shows how the Bible isn’t just a book of stories, but it’s really one big story of the love of God towards man.
Beautiful, unique illustrations fill each page, and draw your eye to consider the people of the Bible, see their emotions, ponder the magnitude and beauty of God’s Plan.
Artfully flowing through the entire book is the main theme of the Bible – that God always had a plan for mankind. That He would send his Rescuer, Jesus.
I grew up in church, went to Christian school and hold one degree from a Christian college. I wasn’t trying to be arrogant thinking I had nothing to learn from a children’s Bible storybook; so many children’s books skim the surface events of Bible stories. The Jesus Storybook Bible delves deep, yet in child-friendly language. It made me understand anew the trust Abraham had in God, the love God has for the unlovely, the small ways God reveals Himself to man, the message of hope running through every story. These are the understandings I want my children to realize at an early age.
The best part about this book, to me, is that it is so enjoyable to read aloud. Repetitious phrases flow from the tongue. A sophisticated variety of sentence structure keeps the stories fresh, interesting, and suspenseful. Delightful titles don’t just label stories, but hint at the message behind each one: “The forgiving prince” tells the story of Joseph in Egypt; “The teeny weenie…true king” tells about David being chosen to rule Israel; “The man who didn’t have any friends (none)” shows Jesus love for outcast Zaccheus. And so it goes, layer upon layer of Bible story sharing the Great Rescue Plan God had from the beginning of time.
This is truly a Bible storybook I’ll enjoy reading to my children over and over… and one I know clearly reveals the beauty of God’s nature.
Buy it: Check out whole chapters of The Jesus Storybook Bible online. It’s is a perfect gift or addition to your home library.
Win it: One lucky reader will win a copy of The Jesus Storybook Bible! Trust me, you are very, very blessed! ARV $17.
Disclosure: I was not sent product for this review and was not compensated in any other way. All opinions are 100% my own.
My wife and I include our sons in all that we do–worship services, meal-time devotions, and talks about God. We also take special time with our older son (4 years old) to explain some things to him in language he can grasp. My wife often helps him remember aspects of what we read or even to memorize verses so that this becomes normal for him.
Besides reading stories to her we tell her about Jesus and how he loves her and what He did in life.
My 5.5 month old daughter loves books! We read quite often. Lately I have been reading aloud from 1st Corinthians while she nurses. She also enjoys listening to me sing old hymns in the shower. We named her ‘Keturah’ which means incense used for praising God in ancient Hebrew. It was also the name of Abraham’s second wife. I like to stand beside her crib at night and pray that her life will be like a sweet incense to God.
I read a bible story every night to my 3 yr old daughter from a book similar to this but not near as cute!! We then talk about what happened in it and pray for the night. She also prays at meal times for us and is encouraged to pray any time she gets frustrated or angry! My favorite though, is to walk outside with her and talk about all the beautiful things God has made (we make an “I spy” game out of it!)
We have a Preschool Devotion and we read other Bible stories with the kiddos 🙂
I love praying with my husband, talking about God, and reading the Bible to and in front of my little girl. We also read a girl’s devotional Bible every now and then (of course, the application parts are difficult, since it’s written for children ages 4-7 and she’s almost 7 months). We also go to church, and so far, she’s been doing great with staying in the service the entire time.
We use songs and life application lessons for the most part. My little ones are 18mo and 3yrs old so they love music and making “a joyful noise unto the Lord”, lol. Life life application lessons are really just a matter of making the most of any opportunity that presents itself to tie into a practical application of scripture. Simple thinkgs like playing outside and pointing out the clouds, sunshine, birds, bunnies, etc and turning into a lesson on the beauty of God’s creation, and the love He has for it.
For my young teenagers to more easily be interested and relate we bought them a book of different bible verses that’s were easily explained and relevant. They enjoy discussing it.
The way I shared about Jesus this past summer with my younger, 9 year old sister, was that we had bible studies most every day that I took care of her. She would watch a few episodes of Life Kids through Lifechurch.tv ‘s website, and then we would talk about what she saw, learned, questions, and sometimes (though we should have done it every time!), we prayed. We had some great talks, and I loved how she started bringing over some of her bible and bible books over to my house to read during her free time!
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WE read the word together.
I teach 4th grade sunday school. I am blessed to teach the Bible each week to kids
my nephew would love it!
In my house I constantly tell my children about Jesus and how he sacrificed his life and did it just for them. I illustrate to them my reading stories in the Bible, praying and singing to let them hear and see how I pray and read my own Bible.
I take my grandson to Church and Sunday School, but not as often as I should. This would be a great way to teach him.
rjs682 at yahoo dot com
We do the same things you do in your house, pray, read scripture, memorize verses, sing hymns, constantly telling them what Jesus did for them and we let them see how important Jesus is in our own lives. We let them hear us praying and reading our own Bibles. Thanks for the giveaway!