The Jesus Storybook Bible, by Sally Lloyd-Jones

"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 leaves his palace, his throne -everything- to rescue the one he loves. It’s like the most wonderful of fairy tales that has come true!" -p. 17

Today I am here to talk about a very popular children’s Bible. This children’s book is perfect for children of all ages, but I recently reread through it too, and enjoyed every word. As far as children’s Bibles go, I’m convinced this is the best one out there.

Of course, no abridged Bible should ever (can never) replace the real one, but I think that this one will actually broaden (or bring back) your perspective of the real thing.

This Bible is unique in so many ways, and I’ve picked my top three benefits of it to share with you today. Don’t be deceived, there is more to this book than meets the eye.

1. The Art

This book has stunning, colorful pictures. They have a bright, collage-like feel to them that reminds me of Melissa Sweet’s style (if you haven’t seen any of her work you should go check it out right now). Every page is different. On some pages, the pictures are in panels, in others they’re big enough to cover the whole spread. A few of them are even drawn to be viewed from the side, creating an even bigger effect.

The pages are gorgeous. I can’t imagine reading the book without them. When I was listening to the stories on audio, I flipped through the book at the same time, just because I wanted to enjoy all the pictures along with it.

2. The Writing

Sally Lloyd-Jones’ writing is a joy and pleasure to read. She takes common stories that have been told hundreds and hundreds of times over, and makes them fresh and enjoyable. 

Here is a paragraph out of the story about Noah’s ark.

 And it started raining -for minutes, that joined up into hours, that joined up into days, that joined up into weeks. And the rain joined up into puddles, that joined up into rivers, that joined up into a flood that covered the whole world.  -p. 44

Wasn’t that just so much fun to read? It’s so simply written, but with such a deliberate use of storytelling. I used to love those sentences as a child, and always thought through the stages of the flood after that.

A lot of other children’s Bibles simply reword what the Bible says. They cut out three sentences, take out a few long words, divide sentences in half, and call it improved. But what is it improved from exactly? The living Word of God? They haven’t made it more child friendly. They have taken out the meaning and left you with bare facts. They’ve taken out the beauty and made each sentence the same. All they really did was water down the most glorious book in existence and add pictures to it!

You may be wondering if that is any different from The Jesus Storybook Bible, and I’m here to tell you that I believe it is. Sally Lloyd-Jones is not simply trying to rewrite the Bible. She has written the story of Jesus in a way that appeals to a creative mind. I do not think that a children’s Bible’s job is to retell the Bible, but to tell its story, and The Jesus Storybook Bible does just that.

What I mean is, The Jesus Storybook Bible is not just written because that’s how you write a children’s Bible. I can’t stand many children’s Bibles because they take out all the truth and beauty that way. This one is written with care and meant to be read differently. It is not meant to be your child’s real Bible! It is simply meant to tell your child the story of Love.

You could very easily argue that, wait a minute, isn’t the Bible telling the story of love too? And the answer is, of course it is! The Bible is the living story of how much God loves His people. The Jesus Storybook Bible doesn’t lose that part of the story in rewrite. It latches onto it and tells it in a way that young ears cannot help but observe!

3. The Story

But even more than the pictures, even more than the fun writing style and beautiful words, the thing that best ties this book together as a retelling of the Bible is the way it captures the story. Right below the title it says, Every Story Whispers His Name. That is such a wonderful way to approach the stories of the Bible, and Sally Lloyd-Jones certainly kept it true in her writing. Every chapter in this book points back to Jesus. Each one reminds us of His Rescue Story. 

Can you think of any other children’s Bible that holds to such importance the love of God throughout the whole Bible? I can’t. But I think that it is one of the most important things to shine from a Bible story. God is the point of the Bible. It’s not about Abraham, or David, or sinning, or courage, or prayer. God is the center, and if a child could discover just one thing from a children’s Bible, I hope they would learn that God’s love is the thing holding the whole story together.

This Bible is not about the facts of the stories, but about the story.

Final Thoughts

Before I finish up this post, I had one more point to make. This came to me as I was rereading the storybook.

C. S. Lewis put this in the very beginning of his book, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe. “Some day you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again.” He was referring to the fantasy book he had written for her.

But the phrase made me think of more than just fantasy. As Christians, we exchange stories in general for Bible studies and sermons as we get older. But the stories in the Bible are not just for children. So often we grow out of reading stories like David and Goliath, or Jesus Walks on Water. When we do read these stories, it’s with a serious, scrutinizing intent.

Dreary children’s Bibles do nothing to help anyone’s lack of stories. So often they are written dully, and without personality. We need to be reminded that there is love and goodness in the Book we’ve staked our lives on. We need to be reminded that life in Christ is not empty or boring!

When was the last time you read the Bible just to read the Bible? Not because it was the right thing to do, or because you wanted to feel good. Not even because you knew you needed to spend time with God. Children read the Bible because it is a story, and when we drop that intention completely, we lose something special.

More than anything else, this is why I love The Jesus Storybook Bible. By reading it, you are finding again the joy in the story of Jesus. I believe that to have faith like a child, we can’t stop reading for the reason a child reads.

Someday you will be old enough to start reading fairy tales again. Someday you will remember the story that lit up your whole life. Someday you will be inspired again by its awesome glory.

So what do you think? Have you read The Jesus Storybook Bible before? Maybe yourself or to your child? What did you think? If not, are you going to go read it now?