Lauren Ducommun

When this storybook Bible arrived in the mail, it left a great first impression. Not only does it have a wonderful new book smell, but inside and out, it is so wonderfully and thoughtfully designed. The thick matte pages are colorful, and the binding is great for such a thick book! Crossway did a great job at putting out a storybook Bible for kids that should hold up pretty well.

After reading a few stories, I found that the writing didn’t match the first impression. This storybook Bible seems to lean more strongly on commentary than a paraphrase of the Bible story, and there is also not much dialogue from the characters. In The Biggest Story Bible Storybook, DeYoung explains over 104 short Bible stories in a very casual tone.

What is unique about this storybook Bible is its illustrations. Unlike many children’s Bibles, which try to portray characters or events in a realistic or cartoony way, The Biggest Story Bible Storybook went an entirely different route and a colorful mid-century modern style. Instead of natural skin colors, the characters are blue, green, or purple. DeYoung shares some reasons they took this artistic direction in his introduction.

With 104 Bible stories, The Biggest Story Bible Storybook by Kevin DeYoung covers the main events of the Bible. I liked how they also included stories from Job and the minor prophets, as those are less popular stories to include in a storybook Bible.

What I’m not a fan of: This is nit-picky, but I don’t like how DeYoung chose catch-phrases or song titles for his story titles such as “Rain, Rain, Go Away,” “The Happy Meal that Kept Going On,” “Mr. Clean,” or “Knock Knock Who’s There?” I also am not a huge fan of the chapter title for Esther, which is “More Than a Pretty Face.” It’s a little odd title for a kids’ book.

Each story has a Bible reference, is around 3-4 pages long, and ends with a little scripted prayer. DeYoung’s stories are engaging and fun, but for such a beautiful work of art as this storybook Bible, it seems strange to read it and come across colloquialisms and phrases that are overly childish or too dated. The artwork is timeless, but the writing is almost too informal. Here are some examples:

• “But don’t think that makes God a meanie” (16)
• “That’s what the tree stood for–God’s authority to call the shots” (24)
• “…before you close this book and crawl under your covers and cry….” (29)”(that is, the son’s name was Abel; we don’t know what they called the sheep)” (31)
• “Get a grip, Cain.” (32)
• “…God gave Noah an assignment: ‘Make yourself an ark.’ Not an arcade. Not an architect. And definitely not an aardvark.” (37)
• “…after more than a year of being cooped up in a great big floating chicken coop…” (42)
• “Then God did something brilliant. Literally. He hung a rainbow in the sky…” (43)
• “Basically, God told this guy…” (52)
• “…he was starting to wonder if God had moved on to Plan B” (54)
• “…God hands out A+’s…” (54)
• “…it wasn’t going to rain cats and dogs” (60)
• “Not funny ha-ha, but funny like…” (62)
• “…Jacob had a strange dream. Not about losing his teeth, or going to school without any clothes on, or eating a giant marshmallow (and waking up to find your pillow is gone!)” (72)
• ‘[Jesus] wasn’t created with a magic wand or in a science lab…” (284)
• “So they could share a dozen donuts? Or so they could each have one slice from an extra-large pizza?” (315)
• “…Jesus told them to get her something to eat. Let’s hope it was as good as ice cream” (335)
• ‘…[Herod] was also a scaredy-cat…” (336)
• “…Jesus was transfigured…But not into a dinosaur or a robot or a semitruck.” (360)

My main concern is that these idioms will not age well, or that it dates the book due to the phrases the author has chosen. The informal, trying to relate to kids, phrases seem like the author is trying too hard to be liked by kids, or make them laugh, and sometimes negates the seriousness of the Bible stories or can distract from the story itself. This storybook Bible may be helpful for kids who are reading Bible stories for the first time or kids who don’t read much in general, but for more mature readers, it may sometimes come off as condescending.

Whereas C.S. Lewis would say, “No book is really worth reading at the age of 10 which is not equally – and often far more – worth reading at the age of fifty and beyond,” DeYoung holds the belief that “When the best stories are told for children–in their idiom and at their age level–they are still captivating for adults.” This seems like they’re saying the same thing, but whereas Lewis is sharing that we can expect kids to enjoy stories that contain deep themes, DeYoung appears to be saying that kids need content “at their level.”

I appreciate how DeYoung added more theological insights into the Bible stories. The Biggest Story Bible Storybook isn’t just a paraphrase of Bible stories for kids, but DeYoung weaves in his own Bible commentary. He also introduced the readers to different Scripture genres, highlighting the genealogies’ importance. If I could compare it to a Bible translation, it would fall heavily into The Message paraphrase category.

After seeing so much marketing of this book at TGC Conferences, social media ads, and a monumental new Sunday School curriculum created based on this book, I was expecting a storybook Bible with more meat and depth. Overall, this book looks so stunning, with its page number and impressive artistic design and quality, but while it is biblical accurate, many may not appreciate the informal tone.

While the artwork is lovely, I’m not sure if I’ll take the time to read this storybook Bible with my kids when there are so many other alternatives available (i.e., N.T Wright, Lithos Kids, Beginner’s Bible, etc.).

I’ve heard great things about the associated curriculum, as it you can choose readings from either the Bible or the Storybook Bible. Crossway also sells 104 standalone posters for those only interested in the illustrations.

The publisher sent me this book in exchange for an honest review.

The Biggest Story Bible Storybook
by Kevin DeYoung
Crossway, 2022
528 pages