This review was also posted here - https://cavetothecross.com/blog/biggest-story/

As Christian parents of young children, we are always trying to incorporate the Gospel presentation to our children as they are our number one outreach audience we want to see come to salvation in Jesus Christ. And with young children, using pictures and stories is a big help in communicating that message. For the most part, young children's Christian literature involves the fun stories without the consequences. We get the small Ark with the giraffes' heads poking out but we don't get the reason for the Flood to have occurred and being tied to God's judgment. We get David facing off against Goliath but after the rock knocks out the giant, we don't see David ending the confrontation with a beheading. The stories of Jesus healing and feeding people and letting the little children come to Him are there but the cross seems to be missing from the stories. We remove death and judgment and the outcomes of sin from the stories to our children and wonder why there's no drive from them to see Jesus as anything other than our friend. Why see Him as a Savior if we're not showing them what He's saving us from - apart from an apple with a bite taken from it?

But then we'll read to our young children stories of swashbuckling pirates, wizards in battle with orcs, monsters being defeated by knights, or hereos of might. Works of fiction we'll communicate the hero's journey, but in the ultimate Hero's journey we remove the conflict and make the brave One feckless and just another hippie lost to an era long ago.

The Biggest Story from the cover offers the hero's journey - "The Snake Crusher Brings Us Back To The Garden" and the cover offers a literal path to follow. Here's a story that recognizes God as a Storyteller and His story being not just the hero winning in the end but offering redemption unable to be realized in a world without the pain and suffering to be redeemed from.

There is judgment, there is death, and there is the Cross - put into their proper context and designed from there the parent to limit or expand upon as needed depending on the age of the child. Yes, there are no lopped-off heads in here but failure by man, judgment, death, and the snake loom around every rock - but so is the God of life and hope and salvation. There is the Cross AND the empty tomb.

The pictures are going to be the big seller of the book and cannot be separated for why this is a good story. The style is that of symbolism and shape and form. There's almost too much on some pages but done so for a purpose. This isn't going to Picasso's cubism as a way of denying reality but in showing the epic nature of the story we exist in and travel in today. The mood is one that feels almost esoteric in weirdness and cosmic in grandeur. Again, one done with a purpose.

The story doesn't conclude at the empty tomb or with Jesus just smiling after coming back to life as we might see in other books. The story continues because we're in the midst of the story. The one drawback is I would have liked to seen maybe one page or a few talking about the role of the church in history and the people who have made it up to continue but the story goes to where the title promised us - "back to the Garden". However, this story shows the grandeur of God's plan even with the Fall and the salvation of HIs people. This is a resource and tool that should be a gift to all parents who have been given the Gift of New Life - Final Grade - A+ ( )

The title says it well, as this children's Bible's distinctiveness is that it is not presented as a bunch of disconnected stories lifted from the Bible, but rather as the one great story of the whole Bible: Jesus bringing peace between God and man. It's told so well, that when I give these out, I'm also praying that unsaved parents are illuminated by its clear presentation. The illustrations are so awesome that I bought a few extra books to cut up and incorporate into some home art projects. ( )

We read one section of this book per day to our kids (5yo & 3yo). We loved the writing and the way it showed how the Bible all points to Jesus. The sections are just the right length to make a decent little devotional each morning before we start homeschool. Before we started each morning, we reviewed what we’d already read in previous days. The lessons were straightforward enough that both of my small children could remember and understand the progression.

The only criticisms we have are that a) the illustrations, while beautiful and vibrant, are a little too abstract for younger children (I imagine they would be even up to 7-8yo), and b) there are no accompanying scripture references. The lack of scripture references may be due to the fact that each day covers a sizable swath of the biblical timeline. It still would’ve been nice to have some scripture quotes or references.

All that said, we recommend this book! ( )

In The Biggest Story, Kevin DeYoung―a best-selling author and father of nine―leads kids and parents alike on an exciting journey through the Bible, connecting the dots from the garden of Eden to Christ's death on the cross to the new heaven and new earth.
With powerful illustrations by award-winning artist Don Clark, this imaginative retelling of the Bible’s core message―how the Snake Crusher brings us back to the garden―will draw children into the biblical story, teaching them that God's promises are even bigger and better than we think.

The kids enjoyed this book. As we got farther in it, they wanted me to keep reading after each chapter as I did as well. I especially loved the second half and ending of it. We enjoyed it!
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