Review: The Kingdom and the King Storybook Bible
With captivating illustrations by Catalina Echeverri and winsome storytelling by Bob Hartman, The Kingdom and the King Storybook Bible is a rare gem that every family should add to their home library.
This author-illustrator duo previously teamed up to create The Prisoners, the Earthquake, and the Midnight Song, one of fourteen books in the bestselling picture book series Tales that Tell the Truth from The Good Book Company. Echeverri illustrated the entire series, which includes The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross, The Friend Who Forgives, and The One O’Clock Miracle. Hartman, who has written more than a hundred books and authored the YouVersion’s Bible App for Kids, is an ordained minister and a professional storyteller.
Like their previous work, this new storybook Bible by Echeverri and Hartman is sure to shine as a bestseller. Echeverri’s collage-like illustrations wrap around the lively text in reverent, compelling ways that reinforce the words on the page. Little ones and beginning readers will find the pages filled with plenty of visual treasures to behold as the book is read aloud, and more experienced young readers will find the text friendly enough to read on their own.
The book covers the overall story of Scripture – creation, the fall, redemption, and the new creation – by carefully tracing the kingly theme through all seventy chapters. In fact, fifty of the chapters include either the word “king” or “kingdom” in the chapter title. This theological approach weaves together the stories in a beautiful way that can help readers of all ages to better understand and remember the big story of the Bible.
One of the most attention-grabbing chapters of the storybook is Hartman’s retelling of when Jesus speaks to calm the wind and the waves during a sail across the Sea of Galilee with his disciples. The narrative is based on Luke 8:22-25. Alongside the story is a riveting full-page illustration of the nautical scene, which is rich in color and detail. Hartman relays the story with an engaging description of the stormy adventure, emphasizing the disciples’ question, “Who is Jesus? Who is he really, when even the wind and the waves do exactly what he says?” The chapter concludes by carefully pointing readers back to the first chapter of the book, the story of the Creation. It reminds them how, in the beginning, “a voice spoke, and the waters moved at his command.” Drawing this parallel is a powerful and memorable way to proclaim Jesus as the King of Creation. It also steers readers toward the Trinity and demonstrates how the Old Testament and the New Testament are parts of the same big story.
Parents and teachers will be heartened by how intentionally this storybook promotes Bible literacy, a great need in every generation. Each chapter heading includes references of the specific Bible verses for the story being retold, and the “Welcome” page encourages readers to take note of those references and read the Biblical account as well.
The storybook also aims to adhere closely to the Scriptures, dividing the chapters into an Old Testament section and a New Testament section. The story selection includes God’s covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, as well as the New Covenant in Jesus. Later chapters refer back to characters, events, and truths that earlier chapters introduced, strengthening the overall story.
Most importantly, our triune, Creator, covenant LORD gets the glory as each chapter points readers to God the King. And the “What’s Next?” page at the end invites readers to repent from wrongdoing, trust in King Jesus, and find joy in belonging to the Kingdom of God. It’s refreshing to see this evangelistic call-to-action incorporated into the storybook in a gentle yet intentional way.
Unlike the many storybook Bibles that tend to be cartoonish, hero-focused, or carelessly imaginative in their portrayal of God’s Word, The Kingdom and the King Storybook Bible is true to God’s Word and delightfully illustrated. It can be edifying and spiritually formative not only for the children looking and listening but also for the parents or other adults reading it aloud. I recommend it!
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