Renowned Bible scholar N. T. Wright is best known for his books for adults, including Jesus and the Powers, Into the Heart of Romans, and Surprised by Hope: Rethinking Heaven, the Resurrection, and the Mission of the Church.
In God's Big Picture Bible Storybook, Wright narrates for children ages 6 to 10 the all-encompassing nature of God’s salvation story. In an introduction, he writes, “I was excited to be asked to put this book together because I have often felt that too many children’s Bibles don’t present the whole story. They sample little bits from the Old Testament, and maybe slightly more from the New Testament, but without any sense of how the whole great drama really works. I’m talking about the big story that the Bible gives us of God’s rescue plan for the world—focused, of course, on the story of Jesus, but going right back to the beginning of creation in Genesis and right through to the climax of the new creation at the end of Revelation.”
The book is designed to teach children the connectedness of the Old and New Testaments by including at the conclusion of most of the entries the question, “What else in God’s big story links up with this?” Children are then pointed to a connecting story they can look up. For example, the story of the first Passover includes a picture reference to Jesus’ last meal with his disciples, along with the page number where it can be found. And in another example, the story of Isaiah’s vision of Yahweh includes picture references to Saul’s vision of Jesus on the road to Damascus and John’s vision of Jesus as recorded in the book of Revelation, along with the page numbers where they can be located.
Illustrator Helena Perez Garcia’s bold, spirited artwork and Wright’s lively storytelling merge to help children understand more fully God’s big picture of redemption and love for his people and creation, including them. (Tommy Nelson)
About the Author
Sonya VanderVeen Feddema is a freelance writer and a member of Covenant CRC in St. Catharines, Ontario.