The Bible is mostly narrative. Multitudes of true stories unfold from God’s one big story and signpost His glorious plan of salvation through Jesus Christ, His Son, and our true friend.
This beautifully illustrated storybook for children retells eight New Testament stories about Jesus using interpretive storytelling. It begins with Jesus’ first miracle at Cana (John 2) and ends with breakfast on the beach (John 21). It includes the story of the Good Samaritan and Mary and Martha (Luke 10), The woman caught sinning (John 8), Jesus walking on water (John 6), and the Lost Son (Luke 15).
Children’s books often tell delightful stories but leave these stories devoid of explanation. This obscures revelation and often lands in misleading moralism. Lloyd-Jones, an experienced child author, succeeds where others fail. Her child-friendly use of vocabulary and thoughtful elaborating is both Christocentric and Biblically faithful. Each story points to Jesus as our loving friend and Saviour – even when we fail. These stories are a joy to read with primary-aged children and will help them to grow in their faith and love of Jesus, whilst simultaneously encouraging the adult.
Surprisingly and slightly disappointingly, whilst there is reference to Jesus’ death and resurrection, this story is missing. When reading from cover to cover – this seems a little strange given where the book begins and ends. That said, the individual stories are in and of themselves heart-warming and without doubt set within this primary context. I happily commend this to anyone eager to share Jesus with the children in their life.
JESUS OUR TRUE FRIEND: Stories to fill your heart with Joy By Sally Lloyd-Jones & Jago. Zonderkidz. 93 pages. £14.99. ISBN 978 0 310 173 878
