The Jesus Book - A Book Review

The Jesus Book, by Stephen Elkins, is a Bible storybook for young children. The book is divided into the following parts;

• Who Jesus Is
• What Jesus Did
• What Jesus Taught
• When It Happened
• Where It Happened
• Why It Happened
• How It Happened

This book uses very simplified versions of Bible stories to tell the story of Jesus. There are Biblical references included in each of these short stories. You can read the story and then show your child exactly where the story is located in the Bible. Most of the stories in this book are one to two pages long and are accompanied by a color illustration.

The author defines key words right in the story. This helps children really understand the story and apply it to their own lives. I like the definition of repent; "to repent means we change our hearts, and we change our lives."

This book provides a colorful timeline of the important events in the life of Jesus. There are also maps that show where these events took place. The maps and timeline are good resources for older children who want more detail and clarity.

The author tells children how to accept Jesus and receive eternal life at the end of the book. The book has a Scripture Index, Topical Index and An Index of Names and Places.

Children will be delighted to find a CD in the book that features children singing 30 favorite Christian songs. This CD is a great sing-along resource. You can use the CD with the book or as a separate singing activity.

I highly recommend this book to parents, grandparents and Sunday School teachers. The book is appropriate for children in pre-school through 2nd grade. The Jesus Book will make a wonderful gift that keeps on giving.