Among the wide variety of children’s storybook Bibles available to us today, I’m thrilled to tell you about Carl Laferton’s God’s Big Promises Bible Storybook. This is a resource that knows what it’s trying to do and accomplishes its mission with great success.
When I requested a review copy from the publisher, I saw that it weighs in at just over 400 pages. I was curious to see how overwhelming that might appear to a very young audience. What I didn’t realize until the book arrived is that the book’s actual dimensions put it closer to a pocket handbook than a typical (oversized) storybook Bible. The effect of the small size makes the hundreds of pages fly past in a very satisfying way.
The book’s general premise is that the Bible tells one big story from beginning to end. That wonderful truth has — wonderfully — become conventional wisdom these days, and it’s delightful to see the trend continue in children’s resources. Yet the unique strength of Laferton’s work is the mechanism by which he ties the entire Bible together into a single story: God’s big promises.
Laferton grabs five major promises that summarize the work of God for his people: the promises to rescue, to raise a people, to provide a good land, to bring joy and happiness, and to install a king. For each of the five promises, he marks places where the promise is made, and places where the promise is kept.
The Bible stories that contain one or more of the promises (either made or kept) are then tagged with stand-out icons in order to remind the reader of that story’s connection to the overarching story. In addition, the table of contents provides charts for the “Promise Paths,” listing which stories should be read if you want to follow a single one of the promises from beginning to end.
While I’m no art critic, I find the illustrations by Jennifer Davison to be drawn from typical perspectives, though the colors are more vibrant and appealing than I’m used to. Some terrific choices are made, such as giving the serpent legs and feet like a dragon (p.31), chain links exploding off a distant Gerasene demoniac (p.273), and a strong yet reasonable diversity of complexion and skin tone all throughout.
Regarding the text: Each of the 92 chapters is unceremoniously brief and can be read out loud in less than two minutes. Despite their brevity, the stories cover quite a bit of ground, and Laferton responsibly avoids the temptation to elaborate on the Bible’s stories for the sake of color. To give one example: You won’t find any speculation here about Moses’ childhood relationship with the Pharaoh he would later oppose. Here is a sample of the first 30 pages.
When Laferton editorializes or interprets a story, he is careful to do so the same way the Scriptures themselves do. For example, with the Good Samaritan, Laferton doesn’t get too specific or use guilt to motivate. He concludes with a simple: “The Jesus asked, ‘Which of those men was truly loving others? You go and be kind like him. People who truly love God will show it by truly loving others.'” If a parent were to doubt whether that is the proper way to conclude the story, they need only look to Luke 10:36-37 to see how closely Laferton sticks to Luke’s narrative.
As a resource that claims to present the Bible’s full storyline through the framework of God’s five big promises, God’s Big Promises Bible Storybook is a smashing success. I am happy to commend it to you. It’s best use is to read aloud to preschoolers, or to give to young elementary students to read themselves.
You can find it at Amazon, Westminster, or directly from the Good Book Company.
Disclaimers: The Good Book Company sent me a free review copy in exchange for an honest review. Amazon and Westminster links are affiliate links. Clicking them will likely provide a small commission to this blog at no extra cost to yourself. We promise, even though our promises aren’t as good as God’s.
