Lauren Ducommun

If you enjoyed Wright’s engaging and fresh translation of the New Testament, then you will enjoy his equally delightful retellings of 140 stories from the Bible. God’s Big Picture Bible Storybook is N.T. Wright’s first children’s book, and it is as good as I hoped it would be!

I’ve read a lot of children’s storybook Bibles that are poorly written–either dumbed down or too informal, but Wright crafts each story in a clear, concise, yet interesting and engaging way. While he summarizes each Bible story into a one-page paraphrase, they don’t feel lacking in detail. 

The design and page layout is simple and delightful. Each story shares a Scripture reference, as well as a cross-reference to other Bible stories to which it is related. There are also maps, that are simple yet informative. I appreciate that God’s Big Picture Bible Storybook appeals to older kids and adults — it is not overly colorful or cartoony. This is a wonderful addition to your church library, or to your home library, if you have kids from ages 6 – 12.

What I really like:

• Wright doesn’t skip over stories like “Cain and Abel” or the persecution of Stephen. Seeing as his audience is elementary kids and not preschoolers, this makes sense.
• His writing — it’s exact and well-crafted, not fluffy or exaggerating.
• God’s Big Picture Bible Storybook is one of the few children’s storybook Bibles that covers the most Bible stories (I’ll be sharing a Children’s Storybook Bible Comparison PDF once this book is released).
• He includes stories that are often overlooked, such as the wedding miracle in Cana, Deborah and Barak, Jesus walking on the water, and Philemon.
• This is the only children’s storybook Bible I know of that tells the story of the Woman at the Well!

I had an Advanced Reader’s Copy that only shared half of the stories, so unfortunately, I was not able to read through the New Testament stories–I was hoping to see how he wrote about Jesus’ crucifixion as well as stories from the Epistles. I hope to edit this review after I receive my hard copy–to share about how he handles sacraments and eschatology.

Considerations + Helpful Insights:

• In the story about John baptizing Jesus, Wright said, “to baptize something means to plunge it under water” (148).
• I think Wright holds to Christus Victor, and not Penal Atonement. In his retelling of Leviticus 16, about the scapegoat, he doesn’t mention the atonement. In the story of Abram and Isaac, he defined sacrifice as “giving up something precious that you dearly love” and did not use the term “offering” in the story. This could be because Wright tends to words that modern readers are more familiar with. (I’ll update this section with more details after reviewing the full book).

What was N.T. Wright’s vision for this storybook Bible? Thomas Nelson shares: “N.T. Wright wants his readers to discover the many surprising ways in which one Bible story echoes another, and how different stories contribute to the one very good and very big story of God’s love for creation–a story that unfolds over the centuries, until at last it is fully revealed in the life and teaching of Jesus.”

Thank you Tommy Nelson for providing this book for review consideration via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

Knowing God’s Truth: An Introduction to Systematic Theology
by N.T. Wright
Tommy Nelson, 2024
296 pages