What do you think?
Rate this book
The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name
For over a decade, The Jesus Storybook Bible has been introducing children to God’s wonderful story, and the Savior at the center of that story. Trusted and treasured for over a decade, with over 3 million copies sold, The Jesus Storybook Bible is the quintessential book for parents, grandparents, pastors, and anyone else who wants to share God’s Never Stopping, Never Giving Up, Unbreaking, Always and Forever Love with children. What makes The Jesus Storybook Bible different from every other kids’ Bible? While other kids’ Bibles contain stories from the Old and New Testaments, The Jesus Storybook Bible tells the Story beneath all the stories in the Bible, pointing to Jesus as our Savior. From the Old Testament through the New Testament, as the Story unfolds, children will clearly see that Jesus is at the center of God's great story of salvation—and at the center of their story too. The Jesus Storybook Bible : Other titles in the Jesus Storybook Bible collection
352 pages, Hardcover
First published February 20, 2007
1028 people are currently reading
2940 people want to read
About the author
Sally Lloyd-Jones
169 books265 followersThanks for stopping by my Goodreads Page. You'll find more @ my SUPER blog, my blog, my public facebook page, and my website.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,015 reviews
December 28, 2011
My friend, Julie's review:
As a teacher, I have seen dozens of children's Bibles. I have never been impressed, really, preferring the real thing to the cheesy, cartoony pages of children's Bibles. Until now. Through one of my favorite singer/songwriters, I have come across The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I teared up when I read the first pages. And now, I have purposed to buy it for every child's birthday or baby shower that comes across my calendar. (Sorry to spoil the surprise for all of my friends out there awaiting gifts) I have read most of the book, and it's honest, clever, thoughtful, and definitely kid-friendly. Every story points to Jesus. "Every story whispers his name," the title truthfully claims. The Pharisees are referred to as Extra-Super-Holy-People. I mean, what kid wouldn't understand that? So this is just my little recommendation to you. Take it or leave it. But I hope you will take it. If I tag you in this note, it's because I think you are a good parent or you love kids. :) Here's an excerpt from the beginning of the book...
God wrote, "I love you"- he wrote it in the sky, and on the earth, and under the sea. He wrote his message everywhere! Because God created everything in his world to reflect him like a mirror- to show us what is is like, to help us know him, to make our hearts sing.
The way a kitten chases her tail. The way red poppies grow wild. The way a dolphin swims.
And God put it into words, too, and wrote it in a book called "the Bible."
Now, some people think the bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.
Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.
No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leave his palace, his throne- everything- to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!
You see, the best thing about this Story is- it's true.
There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.
It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in the puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.
And this is no ordinary baby. This is the Child upon whom everything would depend. This is the Child who would one day - but wait. Our Story starts where all good stories start. Right at the very beginning...
As a teacher, I have seen dozens of children's Bibles. I have never been impressed, really, preferring the real thing to the cheesy, cartoony pages of children's Bibles. Until now. Through one of my favorite singer/songwriters, I have come across The Jesus Storybook Bible by Sally Lloyd-Jones. I teared up when I read the first pages. And now, I have purposed to buy it for every child's birthday or baby shower that comes across my calendar. (Sorry to spoil the surprise for all of my friends out there awaiting gifts) I have read most of the book, and it's honest, clever, thoughtful, and definitely kid-friendly. Every story points to Jesus. "Every story whispers his name," the title truthfully claims. The Pharisees are referred to as Extra-Super-Holy-People. I mean, what kid wouldn't understand that? So this is just my little recommendation to you. Take it or leave it. But I hope you will take it. If I tag you in this note, it's because I think you are a good parent or you love kids. :) Here's an excerpt from the beginning of the book...
God wrote, "I love you"- he wrote it in the sky, and on the earth, and under the sea. He wrote his message everywhere! Because God created everything in his world to reflect him like a mirror- to show us what is is like, to help us know him, to make our hearts sing.
The way a kitten chases her tail. The way red poppies grow wild. The way a dolphin swims.
And God put it into words, too, and wrote it in a book called "the Bible."
Now, some people think the bible is a book of rules, telling you what you should and shouldn't do. The Bible certainly does have some rules in it. They show you how life works best. But the Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done.
Other people think the Bible is a book of heroes, showing you people you should copy. The Bible does have some heroes in it, but (as you'll soon find out) most of the people in the Bible aren't heroes at all. They make some big mistakes (sometimes on purpose). They get afraid and run away. At times they are downright mean.
No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story about a brave Prince who leave his palace, his throne- everything- to rescue the one he loves. It's like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true in real life!
You see, the best thing about this Story is- it's true.
There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them.
It takes the whole Bible to tell this Story. And at the center of the Story, there is a baby. Every Story in the Bible whispers his name. He is like the missing piece in the puzzle - the piece that makes all the other pieces fit together, and suddenly you can see a beautiful picture.
And this is no ordinary baby. This is the Child upon whom everything would depend. This is the Child who would one day - but wait. Our Story starts where all good stories start. Right at the very beginning...
September 30, 2013
The more I read this the more I don't like it. I think it would be better labeled the Jesus storybook, because this is not the bible. In fact it is so added too and taken from its far from the bible. Just to mention a few theological discrepancies in the very beginning God says " hello stars" it does not say he spoke them into existence. then you have Eve believing that God does not love her, that's not what the bible says at all. To go on the story of Rachel and Leah frustrates me to no end. Rachel is popular and stuck up, and Leah is a victim. Then one day Laban had a sudden idea, Jacob has been working for me all this time, I should let him marry one of my daughters. The bible tells us Jacob loved Rachel right away and was working to win her marriage. It was Jacobs idea from the beginning. Then there is the Passover, it might not seem like a big deal to change simple wording, but in this place I believe it is a very, very big deal. In the jsb Jesus says this bread is "like" my body and this wine is "like" my blood. Jesus true words are this is my body and this is my blood, big difference. Another problem I have are the assumptions it describes. Like when God changes his mind about Isaacs sacrifice, it says " great sobs shook the old mans whole body. Scalding tears filled his eyes. And for a long time they stayed like that, in each others arms, the boy and his dad." I feel if this was called the Jesus storybook things would be different, but it's claiming to be a bible and adding to the word of God. Some of these things may seem small, but from a young age I am telling my children over and over again that the bible is Gods words. What would it then look like when they ask why these other things are not in the bible. I do find this book very moving by its wording and believe it has some great stories for kids, but when it comes to reading them the bible and telling them it's the absolute word of God, I will stick to the real thing.
January 26, 2018
Every story whispers his name. Jesus.
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me." John 5:39 (ESV)
The Bible is a narrative that shows us the gospel in every book. It is harder to see it in some than others. This storybook Bible clearly demonstrates the telling about the plan for a Savior in each story.
As G.K. Chesterton is quoted in the intro to book: " I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a story-teller."
"You search the Scriptures because you think that in them you have eternal life; and it is they that bear witness about me." John 5:39 (ESV)
The Bible is a narrative that shows us the gospel in every book. It is harder to see it in some than others. This storybook Bible clearly demonstrates the telling about the plan for a Savior in each story.
As G.K. Chesterton is quoted in the intro to book: " I had always felt life first as a story: and if there is a story there is a story-teller."
January 10, 2013
Notes:
yes, every story does whisper His name, but not like this book
this is not a bible at all, just a poorly written storybook
embellished inaccurate stories are ridiculous
omits real truth for a watered down, feel-good gospel
implies that our hearts are full of question marks instead of sin
wrong in every possible way, will never read this to my children
yes, every story does whisper His name, but not like this book
this is not a bible at all, just a poorly written storybook
embellished inaccurate stories are ridiculous
omits real truth for a watered down, feel-good gospel
implies that our hearts are full of question marks instead of sin
wrong in every possible way, will never read this to my children
May 7, 2012
I am frequently dissatisfied with children’s Bibles, which may be why I acquire so many. I keep hoping the next one will compensate for the deficiencies of the last. I have one I chose because the vocabulary, for a change, wasn’t too dumbed down; one I chose because the pictures, for a change, were actually Semitic in appearance (no blonde, Anglo-Saxon Jesus in that one); one I chose because the stories weren’t overly sanitized; one I chose because it included more stories than most. This one, however, I didn’t choose. In fact, I have absolutely no idea how my children acquired it, but today my son brought it to me and asked me to read it.
He said he wanted the “Moses story,” so I started by turning to the table of contents to locate it, and I was instantly cynical. With chapter titles like “The present,” “The girl no one wanted,” “God to the resuce!” and “The teeny, weenie…true king,” I knew it would not only be difficult to locate the stories I wanted but also suspected the text would be so dumbed down and sanitized as to make me want to gag myself with two fingers. I flipped a few pages back to see who the publisher was…Zonderkidz. Zondervan, you see. For kids, you see. With a z, no less. How cute. Let me just say this discovery did nothing to abate, and quite a bit to increase, my cynicism.
But then I started reading…and the greater part of my cynicism slowly faded. The stories are certainly child friendly. They certainly try to make the tales “entertaining,” so to speak. They certainly have a non-droll style. But the overall quality of the writing was much better than I anticipated. The style was actually somewhat effective, despite being non-serious. The pages were enjoyable to read aloud. The “sound” of the stories rolled off my tongue. I especially appreciated the way the storytelling pointed backward and forward to the major themes that course throughout the Bible, linking past, present, and future stories, and, as a Christian, I appreciated the way it pointed everything to Jesus without being too terribly clichéd or contrived about it. There's a strong sense of God's grace coursing throughout the storytelling, an idea that these stories, even the most violent of them, point to a gentler, beautiful, and loving truth. It does this, too, I think, without seeming pollyanish, without turning God into a teddy bear.
Of course, I’m basing this entire opinion exclusively on the three “Moses stories” I read my son tonight. My opinion could very well change as I read more. But it was nice to put the breaks on my jaded, gut reaction and to find quite a few things to appreciate about this Bible. Or maybe I’m just uncharacteristically impressed because I didn’t have anyone to share my bottle of mulled wine with on this chilly November night.
But if I can revert to my usual cynical self for a moment, based on what I've read, there are too many chunks of the story left out. The chunks are left out because the author is busy making a point, a worthy point, but I wonder if that point could have been made without, for instance, boiling down the ten commandments to, say, four. Now, if you wanted to boil them down to TWO, the two Jesus (and the prophets) specified (love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and your neighbor as yourself), okay, but why four? I think that sort of thing is going to annoy me after awhile. But for now, I leave my rating at four stars.
-----
ADDITION: Today we read from page one through the end of the Noah story. The cutesy language does get on my nerves a bit, but, overall, I’m finding it still fairly well (rhythmically, descriptively) written. It’s as much commentary as story, but I happen to agree with a great deal of the commentary, and I like its perspective that the Bible is not a book of rules or a catalog of heroes to emulate, but rather a grand story of God’s love for his creation; not so much a story of what we should do, but a story of what God has *done.* This is a perspective I want my children to have. It might be a little heavy handed and overplayed in parts, but I’m still impressed by the uniqueness of the presentation.
That said, I defy anyone to attempt to read a children’s Bible to my daughter. Here’s how it went down tonight - - Me (reading the text of the Noah story): “Why would anyone need an umbrella, let alone an ark?” Her: They didn’t have umbrellas back then. They weren’t invented yet. They didn’t have lacquer. The Japanese invented lacquer. [Later] Me (reading): “Noah sent his dove out to explore, and it wasn’t long before she brought him back a fresh olive leaf.” Her: No, he sent a raven out first. Actually, it went dove, raven, then dove. [Later] Me (reading): “God said, ‘I won’t ever destroy the world again.’” Her: No, only by FLOOD. He didn’t say he wouldn’t destroy it another way. Like by flames or fire. Or ice.
I guess my daughter has the same problem with children’s Bibles I do.
He said he wanted the “Moses story,” so I started by turning to the table of contents to locate it, and I was instantly cynical. With chapter titles like “The present,” “The girl no one wanted,” “God to the resuce!” and “The teeny, weenie…true king,” I knew it would not only be difficult to locate the stories I wanted but also suspected the text would be so dumbed down and sanitized as to make me want to gag myself with two fingers. I flipped a few pages back to see who the publisher was…Zonderkidz. Zondervan, you see. For kids, you see. With a z, no less. How cute. Let me just say this discovery did nothing to abate, and quite a bit to increase, my cynicism.
But then I started reading…and the greater part of my cynicism slowly faded. The stories are certainly child friendly. They certainly try to make the tales “entertaining,” so to speak. They certainly have a non-droll style. But the overall quality of the writing was much better than I anticipated. The style was actually somewhat effective, despite being non-serious. The pages were enjoyable to read aloud. The “sound” of the stories rolled off my tongue. I especially appreciated the way the storytelling pointed backward and forward to the major themes that course throughout the Bible, linking past, present, and future stories, and, as a Christian, I appreciated the way it pointed everything to Jesus without being too terribly clichéd or contrived about it. There's a strong sense of God's grace coursing throughout the storytelling, an idea that these stories, even the most violent of them, point to a gentler, beautiful, and loving truth. It does this, too, I think, without seeming pollyanish, without turning God into a teddy bear.
Of course, I’m basing this entire opinion exclusively on the three “Moses stories” I read my son tonight. My opinion could very well change as I read more. But it was nice to put the breaks on my jaded, gut reaction and to find quite a few things to appreciate about this Bible. Or maybe I’m just uncharacteristically impressed because I didn’t have anyone to share my bottle of mulled wine with on this chilly November night.
But if I can revert to my usual cynical self for a moment, based on what I've read, there are too many chunks of the story left out. The chunks are left out because the author is busy making a point, a worthy point, but I wonder if that point could have been made without, for instance, boiling down the ten commandments to, say, four. Now, if you wanted to boil them down to TWO, the two Jesus (and the prophets) specified (love the Lord your God with all your heart and all your mind and your neighbor as yourself), okay, but why four? I think that sort of thing is going to annoy me after awhile. But for now, I leave my rating at four stars.
-----
ADDITION: Today we read from page one through the end of the Noah story. The cutesy language does get on my nerves a bit, but, overall, I’m finding it still fairly well (rhythmically, descriptively) written. It’s as much commentary as story, but I happen to agree with a great deal of the commentary, and I like its perspective that the Bible is not a book of rules or a catalog of heroes to emulate, but rather a grand story of God’s love for his creation; not so much a story of what we should do, but a story of what God has *done.* This is a perspective I want my children to have. It might be a little heavy handed and overplayed in parts, but I’m still impressed by the uniqueness of the presentation.
That said, I defy anyone to attempt to read a children’s Bible to my daughter. Here’s how it went down tonight - - Me (reading the text of the Noah story): “Why would anyone need an umbrella, let alone an ark?” Her: They didn’t have umbrellas back then. They weren’t invented yet. They didn’t have lacquer. The Japanese invented lacquer. [Later] Me (reading): “Noah sent his dove out to explore, and it wasn’t long before she brought him back a fresh olive leaf.” Her: No, he sent a raven out first. Actually, it went dove, raven, then dove. [Later] Me (reading): “God said, ‘I won’t ever destroy the world again.’” Her: No, only by FLOOD. He didn’t say he wouldn’t destroy it another way. Like by flames or fire. Or ice.
I guess my daughter has the same problem with children’s Bibles I do.
October 5, 2008
I love every aspect of this Bible. The illustrations by Jago are both charming and intriguing. There are about fifty stories, a good balance. The text itself is exactly what I want my children to hear, theologically. I love this line from the very first chapter. "The Bible isn't mainly about you and what you should be doing. It's about God and what he has done." AMEN.
The subtitle is "Every Story Whispers His Name" and indeed, every story does. "No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story... You see, the best thing about this Story is -- it's true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them."
She goes on to say that the center of the story is a baby who is like the missing piece to a puzzle that makes all the other pieces fit together, and to reveal the beautiful picture. She stays true to this aim, pointing to Christ with every story, helping children to see the whispers of redemption through it all. If you buy just one Children's Story Bible, I'd commend this one to you.
The subtitle is "Every Story Whispers His Name" and indeed, every story does. "No, the Bible isn't a book of rules, or a book of heroes. The Bible is most of all a Story. It's an adventure story about a young Hero who comes from a far country to win back his lost treasure. It's a love story... You see, the best thing about this Story is -- it's true. There are lots of stories in the Bible, but all the stories are telling one Big Story. The Story of how God loves his children and comes to rescue them."
She goes on to say that the center of the story is a baby who is like the missing piece to a puzzle that makes all the other pieces fit together, and to reveal the beautiful picture. She stays true to this aim, pointing to Christ with every story, helping children to see the whispers of redemption through it all. If you buy just one Children's Story Bible, I'd commend this one to you.
April 15, 2015
The more I read and understand the Bible, the more I find it difficult to teach certain stories to kids and feel that I'm being honest to the meaning. Think of the stories that we teach in Sunday School:
1. the garden of eden (nudity, disobedience, stealing)
2. Noah's ark (death and distruction on an epic scale with a smiling family sailing atop bloated corpses)
3. Joshua and the Battle of Jericho (prostitution, warfare)
4. David and Goliath ("its ok to hit bad people as long as God tells you too...")
etc, etc.
You get the picture. Many Children's Bibles have sanitized them so that they have to make up morals or lessons to impose on the story. "When you are afraid, little Billy, be brave like David was..."
What I love about this Bible is that it tries to uncover the underlying theology in each story and tie it back to Jesus. I Don't agree with all the choices but it ties together the grand narrative of Scripture in a way few if any children's Bibles do. Excellent.
1. the garden of eden (nudity, disobedience, stealing)
2. Noah's ark (death and distruction on an epic scale with a smiling family sailing atop bloated corpses)
3. Joshua and the Battle of Jericho (prostitution, warfare)
4. David and Goliath ("its ok to hit bad people as long as God tells you too...")
etc, etc.
You get the picture. Many Children's Bibles have sanitized them so that they have to make up morals or lessons to impose on the story. "When you are afraid, little Billy, be brave like David was..."
What I love about this Bible is that it tries to uncover the underlying theology in each story and tie it back to Jesus. I Don't agree with all the choices but it ties together the grand narrative of Scripture in a way few if any children's Bibles do. Excellent.
June 27, 2019
Sally Lloyd-Jones wrote another children's book that positively depicts a same-sex couple; see here and here. Her children's book How To Get Married is also a little fishy.
Part of the reason for the four-star rating is a section towards the end that sounds a little antinomian: No rules (or just a few)! Just grace! Which doesn't make sense, because grace includes law. I'm sure the author's intent was not to spread antinomian views, but that section could have been worded better.
Part of the reason for the four-star rating is a section towards the end that sounds a little antinomian: No rules (or just a few)! Just grace! Which doesn't make sense, because grace includes law. I'm sure the author's intent was not to spread antinomian views, but that section could have been worded better.
May 26, 2021
Refreshing & convicting. I started reading this to my daughter and found myself often brought to tears at The Gospel message - it is conveyed so clearly & beautifully in this book. We just finished the last chapter today and will beginning the first chapter again tomorrow - it will become a favorite in our home.
May 6, 2024
First time reading through aloud with Auggie. Made me cry multiple times—just the simplicity and honesty of the Gospel. The illustrations were so beautiful too!
December 8, 2019
This is the second Storybook Bible my wife and I have used with our daughter (2 1/2). It was a perfect graduation up from DeYoung's "The Biggest Story: How the Snake Crusher Brings us back to he Garden" I will be starting it over with her tomorrow night!
She plays a little to fancy and free in a few places, but overall it is a helpful catechetical tool for youngsters.
She plays a little to fancy and free in a few places, but overall it is a helpful catechetical tool for youngsters.
April 4, 2025
Over 4 million copies sold!
The Jesus Storybook Bible is beautifully written by New York Times bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by award-winning artist Jago. I love how the illustrations visually brings the scripture to life perfect for children of any age. It contains stories from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, highlighter best loved stories from the Bible.
The Jesus Storybook Bible is beautifully written by New York Times bestselling author Sally Lloyd-Jones and illustrated by award-winning artist Jago. I love how the illustrations visually brings the scripture to life perfect for children of any age. It contains stories from both the Old Testament and the New Testament, highlighter best loved stories from the Bible.
March 18, 2024
Like a raging stream of buttery bananas, this book's nonsensical similes are neverending. Parents who want to communicate a biblically faithful narrative to their children have to edit nearly every page while reading it. It is an exhausting book.
The beauty of biblical literature is its didacticism executed through minimalism. The Bible assumes it will be read over and over and over, and so its subtle prose is designed to work on its reader in this way. The Scriptures are effective through their meditative style.
Children's Bibles, as a rule, swing in the opposite direction and fill their narratives with excessive and needless verbosity that distract from the actual narrative. They reflect a narrator who is bored with the Bible, believes children must be bored too, and so must prattle on and on. This one continues that tradition. Children get a sense of the author's humor and heart, but children will not learn of Golgotha, Pontius Pilate, "King of the Jews" or other historic-specific details that the Church has always considered essential to the telling of this historically located Gospel. They will not learn a Lord's Prayer they can pray as a family and as a Church, but a shadowy paraphrase. There is no Trinity in Jesus' commission to the disciples. Jesus becomes afflicted with arianism while on the cross, "searching desperately" for God up in the sky (like a Looney Tunes cartoon) but he cannot find him. Paul we are told, like all Jews, "LOVES following rules." Did Zondervan have no Bible scholars on hand to even give this book a quick pass?
The strength of this Bible is in what it does include over other children's Bibles. It incorporates OT stories that are often skipped in the genre. It includes both Jesus' death and resurrection (Zondervan sells another children's Bible that just ends after the Sermon on the Mount 😑). And this one goes beyond the gospels to include events in Acts, Paul, and the Revelation. This Bible also points each story to Jesus, creating an overarching narrative.
The art is a mixture of child-like (with a handful of sweet moments well portrayed) and childish. Children deserve beautiful art, both in picture and in prose. Church history is filled with wonderful examples. Why can't this generation have that too?
The beauty of biblical literature is its didacticism executed through minimalism. The Bible assumes it will be read over and over and over, and so its subtle prose is designed to work on its reader in this way. The Scriptures are effective through their meditative style.
Children's Bibles, as a rule, swing in the opposite direction and fill their narratives with excessive and needless verbosity that distract from the actual narrative. They reflect a narrator who is bored with the Bible, believes children must be bored too, and so must prattle on and on. This one continues that tradition. Children get a sense of the author's humor and heart, but children will not learn of Golgotha, Pontius Pilate, "King of the Jews" or other historic-specific details that the Church has always considered essential to the telling of this historically located Gospel. They will not learn a Lord's Prayer they can pray as a family and as a Church, but a shadowy paraphrase. There is no Trinity in Jesus' commission to the disciples. Jesus becomes afflicted with arianism while on the cross, "searching desperately" for God up in the sky (like a Looney Tunes cartoon) but he cannot find him. Paul we are told, like all Jews, "LOVES following rules." Did Zondervan have no Bible scholars on hand to even give this book a quick pass?
The strength of this Bible is in what it does include over other children's Bibles. It incorporates OT stories that are often skipped in the genre. It includes both Jesus' death and resurrection (Zondervan sells another children's Bible that just ends after the Sermon on the Mount 😑). And this one goes beyond the gospels to include events in Acts, Paul, and the Revelation. This Bible also points each story to Jesus, creating an overarching narrative.
The art is a mixture of child-like (with a handful of sweet moments well portrayed) and childish. Children deserve beautiful art, both in picture and in prose. Church history is filled with wonderful examples. Why can't this generation have that too?
June 22, 2015
This is a truly lovely children's Bible that does SO many things right.
The best thing it does is trace the story of Jesus through the whole Bible--it shows how every story points to the Ultimate Story in a way that is very graspable.
The illustrations are SO well done--it's so relieving to see diversity in color of skin and body type. It isn't a Bible full of Middle Eastern inexplicable white people like the children's Bible I grew up with.
I am not what you would call this Bible's typical audience (no babies) but I really enjoyed my time reading this work just as, like, a person. Anyone can learn something from this work from any walk of life.
The best thing it does is trace the story of Jesus through the whole Bible--it shows how every story points to the Ultimate Story in a way that is very graspable.
The illustrations are SO well done--it's so relieving to see diversity in color of skin and body type. It isn't a Bible full of Middle Eastern inexplicable white people like the children's Bible I grew up with.
I am not what you would call this Bible's typical audience (no babies) but I really enjoyed my time reading this work just as, like, a person. Anyone can learn something from this work from any walk of life.
November 12, 2012
Phenomenal. It's really astonishing how good this is. Recently, we started reading straight through it, one story a night, with our son who will be five at the end of November 2012. His questions and understanding of our covenant faith have matured a lot during this family time. He wants to start it over from the beginning. I can't recommend this highly enough for parents of small children, and even for new Christians. I've benefited greatly from it myself, and I've been a Christian my whole life. Get this book.
March 21, 2019
Just finished reading this Bible to my 6 month old. He obviously doesn't understand anything yet, but we're starting over tomorrow!
Great resource, it moved me to tears a few times. I'm so happy to have this for my boy and for myself.
Great resource, it moved me to tears a few times. I'm so happy to have this for my boy and for myself.
July 28, 2021
Disfrute esta lectura junto a mis hijos
January 21, 2025
Not our first time reading it. Flawed at places, like any manmade Bible story paraphrase is, but enjoyable in many ways and a good starting point for conversations with kids. Love the continuity in overarching biblical narrative.
August 7, 2022
“And he knew, in some mysterious way that would be hard to explain, that everything was going to be more wonderful for once having been so sad.”
July 22, 2024
read this in one sitting to a child aloud and it’s much longer than you would think. pretty good but some of it seems to be paraphrased hmmmmm
April 19, 2013
The Jesus Storybook Bible by author Sally Lloyd-Jones is a Bible book for children in which every story points to Christ. The Collector’s Edition includes the book plus three audio CDs of narration and a DVD of animated stories. There is also an Italian Duo-Tone leather edition of The Jesus Storybook Bible that is beautiful and would be perfect for a gift.
My husband and I absolutely loved the first book that we read by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Song of the Stars, so we were excited to read this storybook Bible. I had also had many recommendations from friends who told me how much they liked the first edition of this Bible storybook.
So as soon as we received this book, we started reading a story every night to our three-year-old daughter. From the beginning, we were pleased. Everything in the Bible points to Christ as our Savior, and that is exactly what this Bible storybook does. It makes you think so much more about some of the Old Testament accounts because of how clearly each story shows how Christ has been there from the beginning and will continue to be there through the end.
Read my complete review here - http://shoopettesbookreviews.blogspot...
My husband and I absolutely loved the first book that we read by Sally Lloyd-Jones, Song of the Stars, so we were excited to read this storybook Bible. I had also had many recommendations from friends who told me how much they liked the first edition of this Bible storybook.
So as soon as we received this book, we started reading a story every night to our three-year-old daughter. From the beginning, we were pleased. Everything in the Bible points to Christ as our Savior, and that is exactly what this Bible storybook does. It makes you think so much more about some of the Old Testament accounts because of how clearly each story shows how Christ has been there from the beginning and will continue to be there through the end.
Read my complete review here - http://shoopettesbookreviews.blogspot...
October 16, 2023
The strength of this book is two fold. One, every story ends with a reference to Jesus, showing how He illustrates a truth, fulfills a prophecy, exemplifies a character trait, etc. Secondly, the illustrations are truly unique and not "westernized." Jesus really has an olive complexion as his Jewish roots would indicate. People and angels come in various colors.
This book is part of our regular Bible rotation, and we have given it as gifts for Christmas, Birthday and baby showers. Advertisements list the age as 4-8, but we started at 2. In moments of impatience associated with this young age, we would skip some, just reading the highlights. Now that he is school age, he is almost ready for another trip through where he will do the reading! The pictures are engaging and this book is often chosen to sit with, even before he could read. Highly recommended! Enjoy!
Also highly recommended:
Read-Aloud Bible Stories, Lindvall, 1982
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jesus Loves Me, Anderson, 1988
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
This book is part of our regular Bible rotation, and we have given it as gifts for Christmas, Birthday and baby showers. Advertisements list the age as 4-8, but we started at 2. In moments of impatience associated with this young age, we would skip some, just reading the highlights. Now that he is school age, he is almost ready for another trip through where he will do the reading! The pictures are engaging and this book is often chosen to sit with, even before he could read. Highly recommended! Enjoy!
Also highly recommended:
Read-Aloud Bible Stories, Lindvall, 1982
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Jesus Loves Me, Anderson, 1988
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
May 6, 2013
I love this book for one main reason: it shows how every story points to Jesus.
This storybook is desperately needed in a Christian culture that has watered down the Bible to a book of morality and life lessons for children. This book shows that the Bible is not about them (and that is good news!) - it is about Jesus and how he is rescuing the world and making everything "sad come untrue." That's really all you need to know in order to purchase and read this book to your children: it points to Christ in every story, without exception.
That said, Sally Lloyd-Jones is a great story-teller. She uses language that captures beautifully the stories in the Bible. In fact, the way she tells the stories will often challenge parents as well as the children. Also, the illustrations are wonderful.
Highly recommended!
This storybook is desperately needed in a Christian culture that has watered down the Bible to a book of morality and life lessons for children. This book shows that the Bible is not about them (and that is good news!) - it is about Jesus and how he is rescuing the world and making everything "sad come untrue." That's really all you need to know in order to purchase and read this book to your children: it points to Christ in every story, without exception.
That said, Sally Lloyd-Jones is a great story-teller. She uses language that captures beautifully the stories in the Bible. In fact, the way she tells the stories will often challenge parents as well as the children. Also, the illustrations are wonderful.
Highly recommended!
September 24, 2016
This children's bible story is unique because it doesn't just retell the stories of the bible, but also links them to the greater gospel story. This helps primary school aged children understand how God's plan of redemption unfolds from the Old Testament stories to the New, putting it all into context. The bright quirky illustrations complement the text and the conversational story-telling style make this a fun and engaging read.
December 11, 2017
Winston and I enjoyed reading this over the last year. I love how The Jesus Storybook Bible brings every chapter back to God's never stopping, never giving up, unbreakable, always and forever love. The book says ages 4 and up. Even though my 2 year old didn't understand every story, he did understand who Jesus was in each story and that Jesus loved him. We finished every chapter with singing Jesus Loves Me.
September 18, 2016
I'd give it ten stars if I could.
January 15, 2021
Great children’s book telling the story of Christ, with beautiful illustrations. I’m sure to read this again and again to my little one.
June 18, 2025
Read one of these stories (almost) every day to Lucy for the first 10 weeks of her life. Really incredible!! Was more refreshing than I expected to go through the whole story of scripture in this format. It passed the theological vetting process with flying colors and we will be reading it for years to come!
Also open to other suggestions for similar books for toddlers and children. I’m sure all you Anglican NT Wright enthusiasts have some ~kingdom focused~ alternative where Jesus gets baptized as an infant instead.
Also open to other suggestions for similar books for toddlers and children. I’m sure all you Anglican NT Wright enthusiasts have some ~kingdom focused~ alternative where Jesus gets baptized as an infant instead.
October 9, 2022
Read through with my daughter, a few stories at a time. The first thing to say, and the best reason for a high rating, is that it’s the only children’s Bible story book that has captured my daughter’s attention. I’ve tried six-odd others and she will sit through most of them, but with this one she asks for more.
There are some theological errata, but none that ultimately concern me in a book aimed at under-10s.
Perhaps the retelling of Rachel and Leah, with Leah recast as the suffering main character, is the most obvious and skippable problem.
Overall, though, the focus on Jesus’s presence throughout the story of the Bible makes this better than most other Bible story books, which reduce the stories themselves to alienated moral parables.
There are some theological errata, but none that ultimately concern me in a book aimed at under-10s.
Perhaps the retelling of Rachel and Leah, with Leah recast as the suffering main character, is the most obvious and skippable problem.
Overall, though, the focus on Jesus’s presence throughout the story of the Bible makes this better than most other Bible story books, which reduce the stories themselves to alienated moral parables.
March 11, 2025
I’ve read several of these stories before but a friend suggested reading the whole thing in one or two sittings to see the full picture of the Bible in a simple and beautiful way. I loved that each story she told came back to God’s purpose for sending Jesus to earth, something that isn’t quite as obvious when you’re reading it at bedtime with squirmy kids, one story at a time.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 1,015 reviews