BOOKS: Easter Books

Congratulations to Holly Caulifield for winning this week's book giveaway!  While this contest is now closed, please come back to SixSeeds for more giveaways for good, family, fun!

At SixSeeds, we believe in the power of a good story.  The books our children are hearing and reading will move, inspire, and sometimes even shape their lives... even young lives. This week, we take a popular kids' book and examine it. Hopefully, the next time you're browsing though a crowded bookstore, our reviews will help you sort through the thousands of titles…  and you can choose wisely.

The bunny has nestled on his seat at the local mall, which means preparations are in full swing– colored eggs, baskets galore, and the event you mustn’t miss. (What parent doesn’t love watching their child finding those plastic, candy-filled eggs?) Oh, and the fashion essentials!  Especially if you are young girl in the South, it is imperative that your bow be proportionately larger than your head, never smaller.  Scrap bookers and photographers are in their element. Yes, Easter is upon us, and we have bought into it hook, line, and sinker.

While candy sales are most prolific, bookstores also profit from the crops of clever tales about the furry bunny, as well as the smaller selection containing the ones with the “true meaning of Easter.” (Though often it’s basically the same story -- just swap out the big fluffy rabbit for Jesus, and -- voila! -- the religious version.)

Few children’s books plunge headfirst into the actual significance of Good Friday and Easter, at least with much depth, so we’re highlighting some that do. Great theologians often grasp their subject matter, no matter how complex, well enough to convey it to a child. We have chosen a few such exceptional storytellers who have written books involving Jesus’ death and resurrection.

For Younger Readers:

The Jesus Storybook Bible: Every Story Whispers His Name, by Sally Lloyd-Jones

This Bible is unique in that, as the subtitle suggests, it shows Jesus throughout each page and story, even when he is not explicitly mentioned. For a sample of the artistic  creativity, watch the snippet at the bottom of the article.

Big Picture Story Bible, by David Helm

Helm offers a clear, easy to understand account of God working to fix all that’s wrong with the world by sending his own son to die for sin, be buried, and raised for victory.

For Elementary School Age:

The Poison Cup, by R.C. Sproul

This book uses allegory to illustrate the Christian’s understanding that Christ took God’s wrath in their place. Through compelling graphics, Sproul creates a fairy tale involving a King’s son drinking the people’s poisoned water, which kills him, but ultimately saves them.

The Priest With Dirty Clothes, by R.C. Sproul

RC Sproul capably delivers another allegorical tale involving a young man, Jonathan, with dirty clothes, who must stand clean before the King. The kind prince trades his clean robes for Jonathan’s dirty ones, illustrating how Jesus makes a way for people to stand clean before the Father.

Grandpa’s Box, by Starr Meade

Grandpa tells stories to his grandson and daughter drawing from a wooden box filled with symbols, to convey the Bible chronologically -- boys will appreciate how many of the stories involve battle imagery. Meade describes his work this way, “The bible is like a museum and every part of it shows us another aspect of the wonder of its author. We move through its pages from one exhibit to the next, marveling at how each new passage adds to our understanding of our great God. Each time we read any bible story, we should ask ourselves, “What is God doing in this story/ what does this story show me about God? I wrote “Grandpa’s Box” wanting children to see that the main character of every bible story is, always, God.” 

For Elementary Age and Beyond:

Caleb’s Lamb, by Helen Santos

Not only does this book give the reader vivid insight into living as a shepherd during the time of the Exodus, it simultaneously functions as an analogy of the Christian belief in the substitutionary atonement for sin.

Herein is Love, Commentaries for Children, by Nancy Ganz

A homeschooling mom wrote these commentaries out of a desire for her own children to understand rich things about God. So far, she has covered the first four books of the Old Testament. Each section has a daily reading, prayer, and craft, as well as suggestions for visual aids, all to reinforce the lesson. This author has a tremendous grasp on the Bible as a whole, managing to intelligently show the reader how the Old Testament stories point to Jesus’ coming, death, and resurrection. Commentaries have a reputation for being too technical, by many  adult standards, not too mention for a kid. But this one, while satisfactorily deep,  reads like a tender story, conveying the author’s deep love for her subject.

We are giving away your choice of books this week! Please leave a comment for a chance to win. We always love to hear from you.

On one week from publication at noon (EST), we'll pick a name in a random drawing from all eligible entries received and send you an email notification.  When you receive your package in the mail, you'll find out which book you received!

Limit one (1) entry per person; NO PURCHASE NECESSARY TO ENTER OR WIN. Open only to legal residents of the 50 United States and Washington D.C. who are 18 or older as of date of entry.

Help us get to 7,000 fans!  Join us on Facebook today!

Here's a peek at the Jesus Story Bible: