Biblical literacy is crucial in Christian discipleship. It is important for all followers of Christ to have a working knowledge of the biblical storyline and history of redemption. It is ideal to be taught these truths from a young age, although this is not always possible for every believer. For this reason it is important for Christian parents to be equipped with tools that aid in the discipleship of their children. One of these tools, in addition to the Bible itself, is a good storybook Bible. These resources assist parents in introducing the biblical story to their young children. A classic example of this is The Beginner’s Bible (Zondervan), and the very popular The Jesus Storybook Bible (Zondervan). A new such resource has been published by Crossway: The Biggest Story Bible Storybook written by Kevin DeYoung with illustrations by Don Clark (2022).
In many ways The Biggest Story Bible Storybook is very similar to previous storybook Bibles. Yet in many ways it is different. The purpose of the book is to capture the narrative storyline of the Bible and present it to children in a way that they can better understand. The books is made up of seven major sections and tells 104 stories from the Bible. DeYoung includes many of the more famous Bible stories that are well know: Adam and Eve, Noah, Abraham, Moses, David, Jonah, Jesus, and Paul. Yet he also includes stories from the Bible that are not as well known or included in other storybook Bibles: Job, Ezekiel, Zechariah, and even Ananias and Sapphira. He includes these lesser known stories which are not traditionally considered “kid friendly” for a purpose. They tell a small part of the grand narrative of the story of redemption. Children need to be told these stories as well as the more famous ones with a more biblical view. For all Scripture is God-breathed and is profitable (2 Timothy 3:16). The Bible is not a hodgepodge of unrelated stories, but one big story of God redeeming a people for his glory. All stories point to the ultimate story of gospel in Jesus’s death, burial, and resurrection. DeYoung does an excellent job of pointing each of the stories to that story.
The Biggest Story Bible Storybook is very well put together and beautifully crafted. In my review of DeYoung and Clark’s earlier book The Biggest Story, I made the point that that book felt like it was lacking. It seemed to be mostly pictures with a little bit of the story interspersed. The scope of that book was very broad, hitting the major themes of the Bible, but not fully delivering on substance. This new project, however, delivers on what seemed to be lacking in the previous book. The Biggest Story Bible Storybook is what I wanted The Biggest Story to be. Kevin DeYoung faithfully retells the Bible stories. He is careful to make mention in the introduction that these stories are his retelling. While he does his best to stay faithful to the text, they are his words. He does an excellent job, and accomplishes his goal. The stories make the point, and are biblically faith, yet tell each story in a way that younger readers can better understand. The illustrations by Don Clark are vivid and stunning. He does an excellent job of capturing the story being told. His style has a vintage feel, but they are most definitely twenty first century illustrations. Some of the pages would make great stand alone pieces of art.
The Biggest Story Bible Storybook is an excellent resource for parents who desire to begin introducing Bibles stories at a young age. For children too young to read, it lends itself to being read aloud and would be a great resource for family devotions. For children who are learning to read, the stories are written on a level that they can comprehend and apply to their lives. This book, while can be read alone, is meant to be interactive. Children are to be nurtured in the faith, and this books is an excellent resource to aid in that endeavor. The Biggest Story Bible Storybook could easily become a family tradition that is passed down to future generations.
For more children’s resources please visit the Children’s Books page.
Editor’s Note: This book was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
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