THE JESUS STORYBOOK BIBLE
I’m an English major and I’ve recently been studying the benefits of reading the Bible as literature. That sounds strange, doesn’t it? But we don’t always think of the Bible as literature. We forget this human element of the sacred.
We’ve become so accustomed to reading the Bible in bits and pieces that we forget that it really is One Story. A Bible teacher once commented, “You wouldn’t take your new novel up to the counter at the bookstore and ask the clerk where you should start reading, would you? Why do we do that with the Bible?”
This is the concept of literary unity.
Think about how strange (and slightly depressing and/or confusing) it would be to only watch clips of movies. Randomly. It simply wouldn’t work. And yet this is often how we approach Bible reading.
My suggestion as an introduction to reading the Bible as literature is the Zonderkidz Jesus Bible Storybook by Sally Lloyd-Jones, illustrated by Jago. It isn’t a literature tutorial, but it is the whole Bible paraphrased for kids in a way that demonstrates the Bible’s unity. We bought Ada the Deluxe Edition that includes the audio book on three CDs for her birthday. So far it has rave reviews from our house! The writing is brilliant, the artwork is gorgeous, and the voice work is amazing. (The first time Jesse gave it a try he listened/read for 45 minutes in the car and then asked to continue when I made a stop at the store.)
The tag line of the Jesus Bible Storybook is “Every story whispers His name” – I love this. Jesus is the unity of the Bible. Check out the book’s website and listen to the audio clips. I especially recommend to the first chapter, The Story and The Song.Or read the Creation story and enjoy the illustrations here.
Sometimes we need to make it simple. And remember the Big Story.
Well, we’re going to have to add this one to our house at some point. And The Voice too.
I love to read the epistles in one sitting each. They make so much more sense that way.
I am passionate about this subject! I think one reason so many Christians are not clear on their own convictions is because they have never seen Jesus in the big picture of the Bible. Thank you for this.
Isn’t this little Bible stunning? It is our family favorite. I love the way grace is extended in every story as well as God’s “never ending, never giving up always and forever love.”
I have to tell you, Felic, that I was so intrigued by what you wrote about this Bible that I bought it for my kids for an Easter present. We love it! Even our 3 year old understands the stories and looks forward to reading them together. Our 5 year will sit for hours and listen to the CDs as well, and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve gotten emotional reading about the way God loves us.
Thanks for the fabulous review!