The Gospel Story Bible, written by Marty Machowski and illustrated by A. E. Macha, is a beautiful, hardcover book with thick, glossy pages intended to help children discover Jesus in the Old and New Testaments. Funky, colourful pictures accompany each of the 156 stories and “Let’s Talk About It!” questions help parents dig deeper into the story with their children.
Machowski says, “The gospel is deep enough to keep the oldest and wisest parents learning and growing all their lives, yet simple enough to change the heart of the first grader who has just begun to read. That’s what makes The Gospel Story Bible ideal as a storybook for a preschooler, a devotional for a grade school student, a refresher for the adult believer or an introduction for the new one. Parents and children will learn together to read the whole Bible as one story, with one hero—Jesus Christ.”
I like the way each story points out God’s plan of salvation. There is always a connection between the Old Testament and the New Testament, as well as important lessons to be learned from the stories, and Marty brings these alive.
For example, Marty explains how the rainbow appeared after the flood: “Then God made a special promise to Noah, his sons, and all who would come after them. God called the promise a covenant. God said he would never again send a flood to destroy the earth. God put a rainbow in the sky as a sign of his promise.”
At the end of this story, Marty adds, “Did you know that when God saved Noah in the ark, it was part of his plan to save us? That is true because one day Jesus, our Savior, would be born as a far-off grandchild in Noah’s family. There was only one way to be saved from the waters of the flood: you had to go through the door of the ark. And there is only one way to be saved from our sin. Jesus said, ‘I am the way’ (John 14:6). The next time you see a rainbow in the sky, don’t just remember the way God saved Noah. Remember Jesus and the way his death brought salvation to us.”
The author includes a page of suggestions for using The Gospel Story Bible with your children, either as a storybook for preschoolers or a devotional for young grade school children. The Bible is based on the ESV translation.
In a few years, The Gospel Story Bible will be a great resource for bedtime stories or Bible lessons with Sunshine and Lily.
Do you read Bible stories with your children? What has helped you teach your faith values to your children?
This book was provided for review by the B&B Media Group.
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