The Big Picture Story Bible
by David R. Helm
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Book Summary Information
Author: David R. HelmIllustrator: Gail Schoonmaker
Edition: Hardcover
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2004-09-17
ISBN: 1581342772
Number of pages: 456
Publisher: Crossway Books
Product features:
- The Big Picture Story Bible [Hardcover]
- by Helm, David R.; Schoonmaker, Gail
Book Reviews of The Big Picture Story Bible
Book Review: The Best Children's Story Bible
Summary: 5 Stars
This is, in many ways, the story bible I've been waiting for. If I could write a children's story bible, I would want this to be it. (For clarification, a story bible is a collection of bible stories for children too young to read an actual Bible translation.)
This book is incredible. It's mission is to tell the Bible story. Yep. The whole Bible as one story. All other children's story Bible's are a collection of Bible stories. Unfortunately with Sunday School being how it is, this is how most kids and grown ups learn their Bibles. Sure they learn about David & Goliath, and Abraham, and Noah, and Elijah, and Jesus. But they don't learn how they all fit together.
Finally, there is a Bible that tells God's story as one complete narrative. I was a little skeptical at first. I didn't know if this book could accomplish its mission. It did. And then some.
My oldest, Joel (age 4), loves reading this book. He has two other children's story bibles, but this has usurped them. When we first got it, we read over 150 pages. I had to insist that we take a break. He wanted to keep going!
This book does indeed have big, beautiful pictures. There are a just a few sentences on each page. But the point of this book is to teach children about God's plan of Salvation. And so it tells the Bible story as one big story!
It begins with creation and Adam and Eve. It explains how happy they were "in God's place." This is the only depiction of Adam and Eve I've ever seen that shows them happy! Instead of the standard picture of the two of them standing there covered by leaves....they're shown swimming! They actually look like they are enjoying themselves and each other.
After they sin, the book emphasizes that God sent them from God's place because they rejected God as king. It continues humanity's story, explaining how God's people continued to reject him as King and it transitions to Noah. It tells all the stories as one story. It continues to discuss these themes throughout: God's people rejecting God as King, God keeping his promise to return them to God's place and looking forward to God's forever king. In the Adam and Eve story it mentions God's word about how a descendent of Eve will crush Satan's head and get his heel bruised. But it explains it as a hint of God's forever king who is to come and save his people. Throughout the book, it asks questions like, "Would God's forever king come now?" It builds anticipation. This book also teaches. It is filled with questions.
I was so thrilled with this book. My four year old now asks theological questions about Jesus dying and sin etc... that I didn't think he would grasp yet.
This book does what no other children's book does. It tells the Bible as one story! It does many other things. It even includes the intertestamental period! I cannot begin to tell you how wonderful this book is.
I was so convicted by what it does, tells God's story as one story, and how well it does it, that I preached from it. Yep. (I'm a pastor.) I used this very book as my guide, and told the entire story to my congregation. It took me 4 weeks. You wouldn't believe the response I got. People would say how wonderful it was to finally see how everything fit together. And how helpful it was to see the Bible as God working out his plan. Then I would "confess" that it came from a children's story Bible. So I have grown ups now going out and buying copies for themselves and their grandchildren. My mom went and bought a copy for a middle-aged woman that she is mentoring in the faith. My own mother, who taught me about Jesus, told me that she had never seen how it all fit together before.
I'm really high on this book. I preached through it. I will be including an article on it in our next church newsletter. I'm telling everyone to buy it. (Six more copies of this book have already been bought because of me.)
Go buy it. Go buy several copies. I'm even recommending it to adults because it's a fun way to learn the whole Bible story.
We've read it through at our house dozens of times already, and it's become a pretty important part of my plan to teach my children about Jesus.
However, it shouldn't be your only children's story Bible. Because it's mission is to tell the whole story, much of it is like an overview. It doesn't have all the detail of each story. That's fine. It couldn't. But I think you ought to have other books where you can read about David, Moses, Noah, Elijah, Esther etc... with more detail. It would also help if you know the bible stories well yourself. This book leads to a lot of questions. It's pictures will contain some of the details, and so you as the parent, can and should fill in the details, at your child's level, as you go.
The only thing I noticed that could be done to improve this book would be to add scripture references. There are none. If there were scripture references it would be easier for parents who aren't all that familiar with their bibles to go and look up the story for themselves or for their children.
I wish I had the space (or you the attention span) to tell you more about this incredible book. As it contines the story, it reviews for the reader, where we've been. It keeps reminding us of God keeping his promise to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.
Here are some excerpts to give you an idea:
Intertestamental period:
And the years turned into many years, and the many years turned into hundreds of years and the great promises of God seemed to fade away. Israel became less important in the world. Other nations became great - strong nations, powerful nations whose kings ruled over God's people...
God the world's true ruler, the king of the universe was getting ready to show everyone who great he was. God was going to end his many years of silence. God was going to keep his promise of a forever king.
(The picture shows an angel talking to a woman, but it doesn't mention that it is Mary.)
Jesus' birth:
God's forever king was born in a stable, a place for animals. His parents named him Jesus. They wrapped him up warmly and laid him in a manger. What a strange place for the Promised One! Who would have imagined it? While Caesar, the king of the Roman world, was showing everyone how great he was by counting all of his people. God, the king of the universe was showing the world how great he was by sending his Son into the world as one of his people. What a very big day! What God had promised to Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and David had arrived in the birth of Jesus!
In the chapter headings, it refers to Jesus' crucifixion and resurrection as the time that Jesus is crowned as king. It is very clear about the crucifixion and resurrection being part of God's plan from the beginning.
And then there's my favorite part:
After the Resurrection:
Jesus' followers could hardly believe it. "We have seen the Lord!" They were full of joy but they were not full of understanding. They could see Jesus with their eyes, but they could not see why he had to die and rise again. And so...Jesus opened up God's holy book that had been written long ago. He started with the books of Moses and then the Prophets and the Psalms. He showed them everything that was written there about him. In it were many word pictures that proved he must die to pay the penalty for sin. In it were many pictures that promised he would rise again. Jesus followers were amazed as they listened and as they read. Before they had said, "We have seen the Lord!" But now they could read God's holy book and say, "Even here, especially here, we have seen the Lord!" Jesus taught them carefully because he knew the day was coming when people would no longer see him with their eyes. They would read of him instead. He knew God's holy book would help others to believe and say, "We have seen the Lord!" And they too would be full of joy. Do you see the Lord? Painted on the pages of Israel's hard and happy history is the big picture of God's forever king."
This book is awesome! It should be an essential part of your toolbox for teaching your children about Jesus.
Summary of The Big Picture Story Bible
No child is too young to begin learning about the greatest love story of all-God's love for his people, as portrayed in the Bible. David R. Helm and Gail Schoonmaker collaborate to create a beautifully illustrated book of Bible stories especially for children, written with simplicity. Rather than simply retelling the most familiar short scenes from the Bible, this book presents the "big picture"-the unified story running through the Old and New Testaments. This delightful book will help children learn the Bible's whole story and begin to appreciate the fulfillment of God's promise to his people.
The Big Picture Bible Story Book is perfect for parents to read to their children, and eventually, for children to read on their own. It is an excellent way to introduce them to a book that will guide them through all of life.
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