Bible story books are a dime a dozen these days. Kids growing up in church have heard the stories and seen the illustrations time and again. Still, young hearts need to be captured by the message of the Bible and every tool we can use is commendable.

Stephen Elkins has given us a unique kind of book, that will let a child learn the story of Jesus from the inside out. The Jesus Book: The Ultimate Who, What, When, Where, and Why Book allows children to explore Who Jesus is, what Jesus did, what Jesus taught, when and where it all happened, and most importantly why it happened.

The book shows the many sides of Christ's story. Jesus is presented as The Promised One, The Son of God, The King of the Jews, The Christ, The Lamb of God and more. Bible passages are given for the child to explore that theme more closely. The actions of Christ are presented in a similar fashion. He raised the dead, forgave sins, healed the sick and most importantly brought salvation to the world through his death and resurrection.

The What Jesus Taught section samples Jesus' teaching on a variety of topics, again with Scripture verses for children to explore in more detail. The “when” and “where” sections get even more kid-friendly. Time-lines and maps (with keys) let the reader really figure out the story and explore the world of the Bible. Still a few questions about when and where key events happened in the life of Christ are also discussed besides the time-lines and maps.

The questions answered in the “why” and “how” sections offer parents a tool for applying the Bible's story of Jesus to little hearts. “Why did Jesus love children?” “Why did the Pharisees plan to kill Jesus?” “Why did Jesus die on a cross for me?” “How do we receive eternal life?” “How does Jesus want us to live?” “How long does salvation last?” These questions are answered in the book, and a sinner's prayer for salvation is modeled. While they get children thinking, I would be more comfortable if parents read these sections and interacted with their children through them.

Another feature the book offers is a CD with over an hour of songs about Jesus and the Bible. The CD's accompaniment doesn't drown out the message of the songs. It's one of the better kids song CDs available, and is the perfect compliment to this book.

Again The Jesus Book is a great tool that may get your children thinking more about Jesus. It offers a great opportunity for parents to shepherd their children as they express interest in Jesus Christ. This book is to be recommended as another good tool to aid parents in their responsibility of training their children in the faith.

Disclaimer: This book was provided by Thomas Nelson Publishers for review. I was under no obligation to offer a favorable review.

An expanded version of this review is available at CrossFocusedReviews.com, where you can find book excerpts, giveaways, promotional offers, audio reviews and more. ( )

I am very particular about the books I use to teach my children, especially when it comes to things about Jesus and the Bible. With so many fluffy, say-nothing books in the market that oversimplify the life of Jesus, it is a hard task indeed for the discerning parent to find an acceptable book about Jesus. Into this mix comes The Jesus Book, written by Stephen Elkins and illustrated by Claudine Gevry.

With very colorful, one- or two-page stories/lessons, The Jesus Book attempts to give relatively simple answers to the following categories:

-Who Jesus is
-What Jesus did
-What Jesus taught
-When it happened (answering questions like “When was Jesus born?” or “When did Peter deny Jesus?”)
-Where it happened (answering questions like “Where was Jesus born?” or “Where is Jesus now?”)
-Why it happened (answering questions like “Why was Jesus sent?” or “Why does Jesus have authority on earth?”)
-How it happened (answering questions like “How do we receive eternal life?” or How will we know when Jesus comes again?”

I was very glad to see Scripture references included with each lesson instead of simply relying on the book itself to tell what the Bible says. The beautiful illustrations accompanying each lesson are simple, yet conveying the substance of the lesson. The book covers many various aspects of Jesus’ life that most other children’s books don’t even come close to discussing, such as what the prophets of the Old Testament said about Jesus, why Jesus had to die, where Jesus died, why does Jesus have authority on earth, etc.

There are two major drawbacks that I have concerning the book. The first, and perhaps most important, is while hinted or implied, the book never outright says that Jesus IS God. It says he is the Son of God, came from heaven, is the Word, the One who made the earth, but never that he is GOD. In the lesson where it describes Jesus as “the Word,” although it references John 1:1 “In the beginning was the Word…,” even here it does not finish or even talk about the rest of the verse where it says “and the Word WAS GOD.” For a book targeting children, such an important point shouldn’t be overlooked.

The second is in relation to the subject of salvation. We are told that Jesus died in order that sins might be forgiven (p.32), but no clear reason is given for WHY sins need to be forgiven. Additionally, we are told on p. 41 that repentance means we “choose to change ourselves for God.” I know that there may be some disagreement on this point, but as a proponent of Reformed theology and the depravity of man, I believe that this is a misunderstanding of the work God does in us first. There is no recognition of our need for God to help us change. Even in the “sinner’s prayer” on p.89, no confession or repentance of sin is mentioned.

While the book shouldn’t be viewed as a doctrinal primer, these two areas that I’ve mentioned are essential in understanding the person and work of Jesus. Otherwise we end up with a book that talks about a really good man that simply shows us an example of how to live. The Jesus Book, while certainly a step in the right direction, still leaves a lot to be desired. ( )

I received a copy of The Jesus Book from Thomas Nelson Publishers Book review blogger program. The Jesus Book is a Children's book answering many questions regarding the life and ministry of Jesus. As parents we know our little ones ask a lot of questions and this book is a great resource to answer the questions they have about Jesus. This book's reading level is for children ages 4-8 but I believe children of all ages and even adults will enjoy it.

The layout of this book is absolutely wonderful. Each section is labled and each page begins with the fact being addressed and includes background Bible verse reference information for further study. The illustrations are beautiful and assist with explaining the information to children. The author presents the information beautifully and ends the book with the plan of salvation which is wonderful for children who may be ready to make a profession of faith.

I would definitely recommend this product to others. Even though it is a children's book I enjoyed the facts and information as well as the timelines and maps included. This book also included a CD which has 30 songs about Jesus performed by children. This book would make a great gift for any family with Children.

This is the ultimate children’s biography of Jesus. It is written in six parts: Who Jesus is, What he did, What he taught, When it happened, Where it happened, Why it happened and How it happened. This is the perfect book for all of those young readers who are constantly asking questions about Jesus. The book is full of scripture references from the International Children’s Bible. There are wonderfully simple maps and an index that will help the parent zero in on a specific topic when that certain question is asked. As a bonus a music CD is included. This book would be perfect for children 5 and up. This will make a wonderful book to share with my grandchildren.
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