Lauren Ducommun

For centuries, allegories or fairy tales of knights and dragons have reminded us of God’s great love for his people. While picture books like St. George and the Dragon contain symbolism and gospel glimpses, in The King and the Dragon, James W. Shrimpton has retold the redemption story of the Bible through a rhyming allegorical tale bursting with theological truth.

The story begins with a King who made his people a garden and a prowling dragon who whispers lies to the King’s people. The villagers defy their King and listen to the dragon who rules harshly. In many ways, reminiscent of Bunyan’s The Holy War. The rest of the picture book tells of how the King sends a wonderful Knight to slay the Dragon.

The King and the Dragon is delightfully illustrated by Helena Perez Garcia. Her cover design captures the interest of passerbys, and the pages within draw readers into the story.

While it’s marketed to ages three to seven, my eleven-year-old son picked up this picture book from our coffee table and thoroughly enjoyed it. He immediately made the connections and picked up on the allegorical and theological themes–leading to some great discussions! I’m so glad to have The King and the Dragon on my shelf!

I received this book from Crossway in exchange for an honest review.

The King and the Dragon
by James W. Shrimpton
Crossway, 2022
32 pages