Simple, plainspoken stories from the life and ministry of Jesus with warm, appealing illustrations. An excellent introduction for younger children. Originally published in Germany. ( )

I loved the artwork in this book. The colors were beautiful. I saw some beautiful "hidden" symbolism that I really enjoyed, such as the Angel at the Annunciation casting a shadow of a dove and three trees on the hill as Jesus is lead away from the Garden of Gethsemane which represented the crucifixion. These were very well done. The story itself was good but not without flaws. It was good that the author focused on the the Bible stories that referred to children and small people so that they will feel like Jesus cares for them. The words were very non-denominational, which was probably intentional but slightly problematic. For example, at the last supper, Jesus says" Whenever you ...(do this)... think of me" which is not what he really said. However, the adult reading the story can adjust to fit the child's needs. The book ended without showing any of Jesus' appearances after his Resurrection so it felt a bit abrupt and incomplete. Overall, I recommend it, especially for the artwork. ( )

This life of Christ for children may have a fairly narrow audience. Its treatment of events such as the Virgin Birth is probably too ambiguous for evangelical Christians, while its treatment of Jesus' resurrection and some of his miracles is probably too affirmative for Christians on the liberal end of the spectrum. The illustrations by an Italian artist are reminiscent of Italy. The pictures have some characteristics of cartoons, but the muted color palette gives them enough weight to maintain a serious and respectful tone. The book might work well for a preschool audience since teachers could shape the story to fit their denomination's views where they differ from the written text. ( )

A children's book with lovely watercolor-like drawings and accessible story. Since this review copy came as unbound pages I'm almost tempted to frame some of the scenes. The text is quite solid, though I'm guessing 5+ on the age range, but my children are younger. ( )

Like the majority of the other reviews, I thought the artwork was beautiful! The pages were much too wordy for my kids to sit through and the ending didn’t feel complete. I have read it several times to children, but each time I end up telling the story in my own words. Again, the pictures are fabulous and do hold my children’s attention, and for that I believe it does earn a few stars. ( )