I love Bible stories, though I'm pretty picky about them. Too many kids' Bible stories add or leave out details, changing the story. When I was given the opportunity to review The Biggest Story by Kevin DeYoung, I was intrigued. . .
When I received the book, I was blown away. This is a GORGEOUS book! It just feels rich! The pictures are bright and eye-catching, and unexpected and . . . AMAZING. The book itself is big and has thick pages and a built-in ribbon bookmark. This is just plain a beautiful book!
When I began reading the book. I wasn't sure . . . I had assumed this was a picture book, for young children, and as such, it would be something I'd read to my six year old. But as I started into it . . . I don't think that would work. Obviously, others disagree, since the stated age range is 5-11, but I just don't think she'd "get it". . . this book FLIES through the main idea of the Bible, chronologically, focusing specifically on the things most key to understanding the plan of salvation, but it very much assumes that you know the stories it's mentioning briefly. I don't think she'd follow it yet.
So, instead, after I finished reading it, I handed it to my 12 year old, Lexie. Told her to read it and tell me what she thought. As she reading, she kept giggling, and reading excerpts to me that struck her as amusing (like the way it points out that so many people had more than one name). She had the same reaction I did, the pictures are really cool. It wouldn't work for little kids because they wouldn't know all the stories. I asked her how she felt about it for her age, and she said "it's funny, I like it. I don't think I learned anything." I didn't argue with her, but I wonder . . . sometimes I think reading a "summary" level can help us see things differently. The humorous way this is written, the way it focuses so completely on how everything worked toward the ultimate "point of it all" . . . I think it CAN help us see things in a new way.
As I thought about it, I could see this book being a great option to use in a church class for tweens or teens. I think they'd enjoy the writing style, and, going through it, one chapter per week, it could be a good springboard for some great discussions.
It can also be a different "take" on things to read a a family at Christmas time or Easter time.
Overall, this is a beautiful book with a different approach to a well-known story. I'm thrilled to add it to my library!
If you'd like to add a copy to your library you can purchase it here, for $17.99 OR enter my giveaway to win a copy!
To enter, simply leave a comment on this blog post telling me how you'd use this book. Please make sure to include your e-mail address or another way to let you know if you're the winner.
For additional entries, share this giveaway on social media and come back and tell me where you shared it. Please leave a separate comment for each entry.
I will choose a winner at random on Friday, September 18. After I contact the winner he or she will have 48 hours to reply to me with a mailing address, or I will choose another winner.
"Disclosure (in accordance with the FTC’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising”): Many thanks to Propeller Consulting, LLC for providing this prize for the giveaway. Choice of winners and opinions are 100% my own and NOT influenced by monetary compensation. I did receive a sample of the product in exchange for this review and post.
Only one entrant per mailing address, per giveaway. If you have won a prize from our sponsor Propeller / FlyBy Promotions in the last 30 days, you are not eligible to win. If you have won the same prize on another blog, you are not eligible to win it again. Winner is subject to eligibility verification.”
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