A big thank you to NetGalley and Thomas Nelson: Children's for allowing me to review an advanced read copy of this wonderful book!

God' Big Picture Bible Storybook is a fantastic biblical resource for young children. The illustrations are beautiful and it is packed with age appropriate and sound biblical truths from N.T. Wright. Each of the 140 Bible stories contain scripture references and provide a link of reference between Old Testament and New Testament stories that allow children to see how Christ is weaved into every part of scripture.

This is a book that I could use to supplement my pre-k/kindergarten Sunday School curriculum. We have also been using it as a family devotional for my kindergartener and 3rd grader. We are looking forward to purchasing a hard copy of this book for our family!

I’ve been flipping through the digital ARC of God’s Big Picture Bible Storybook by N. T. Wright for the past few months (thank you, Net Galley!), and I’m excited to read through the physical copy with my kids now that it’s in my hands! We put it in my four-year-old’s Easter basket, and I think it will be a great teaching tool for us to use with him. The illustrations are bright and beautiful, and my one-year-old sat flipping through and admiring the pictures for a while. My favorite feature of this Bible storybook is the “What else in God’s big story links up with this?” section at the bottom of many of the stories. It tells you which page to find other stories that relate to the one you are reading to gain a deeper understanding of how the whole Bible fits together into a larger story!

This was a great Bible Storybook! My daughter loved the illustrations and finding her favorite stories within its pages. I liked the stories and the links back to Scripture. This was great!

I received a complimentary copy of this book from NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I was really excited by the prospect of a storybook Bible developed by such a prominent and respected theologian as NT Wright, and there are some distinctive strengths to this children's Bible, including the choice to weave through a few passages from texts like Psalms and Proverbs, as well as the overall comprehensiveness of the story selection. Very few children's Bibles choose to go beyond the Resurrection to cover the vital New Testament texts through to Revelation, and this Bible does that. The art is also wonderful and compelling – a lot of it was really delightful and detailed. The little notes directing readers to connected stories is also a great resource for parents and teachers who want to support children in drawing connections.

So, what's the problem? There are several, the most prominent of which is some explicit supercessionism. From early in the text, Wright chooses to state that various passages point directly to Christ. While that is how we are expected to read them as Christians, it is simply unacceptable to directly state that passages that we share with our Jewish friends and neighbors – and which they interpret differently in light of their faith traditions – only point to Jesus. We can understand them that way without denying the lens other traditions read them through, especially when supercessionism causes real-world harms.

Other more minor issues with this Bible are the exclusive use of masculine God language - many won't mind it, but many will, as well as the selection of a fair number of stories that simply aren't important for children who are still in the storybook Bible demographic really need to know. Thinking comprehensively is wonderful and children deserve a wider picture, but stories like that of David and Bathsheba are so far from essential as to be a peculiar distraction. Despite some of the compelling elements, this is not a storybook Bible I could ever use as a program director.

This is a beautiful book of bible stories. The art work is just fabulous. Each story is just one page long, but sufficient to read to a child or younger reader. N.T. Wright gives us 140 connecting bible story of God's faithful promises. This is a comprehensive book for the bible presented for children. As the writer so rightly says, most bibles for children give a snap shot of the bible. This fills the gap in a wonderful way., the stories link up to give the biblical narrative from Creation in Genesis to the New Creation in Revelation. The author is a world leading New Testament scholar, former Bishop of Durham, a senior research fellow at Wycliffe Hall, Oxford University, and has written over 70 books.I must also praise the art work of Helena Perez Garcia. Her artwork really bought the stories to life. I was delighted to receive an ARC from Netgalley and the publisher.

Very nicely told Bible stories with beautiful and colorful illustrations that take up half or more of each spread. The stories picked for this book does look like they were selected for contributing in a big part to the whole of God’s big story of salvation through Christ Jesus. I loved the related links that are provided at the end of most of the stories and the Bible references for each. I wish though that some help were given as to why those links were chosen. As it were, some homework may have to be done by the adult to help children to understand why those stories are connected.

4 stars. Would have given 5 stars if explanations were given for the links.

Big beautiful book. I’m torn between keeping it for myself (and my future grandchildren haha) and giving it to the church library.

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

The great stories of the Bible are summarized in 140 pages. Each story has an illustration to accompany it. This is an ambitious task, but the author and publisher pulled it off beautifully.
N T Wright is one of the great theologians of our day. The thing that makes him great is that he can take complicated concepts and explain them to the common person. Wright takes the next step in this book and brings the great stories of Scripture to the level of a child. He doesn’t water them down, but explains the truth in a way that can be understood. For example, in the story of Abraham’s sacrifice of Isaac, he explains the concept and practice of animal sacrifice.
I am looking forward to sharing this book with my grandchildren. The stories are concise and are designed for a short attention span. Well done!
Thanks to the publisher, Tommy Nelson, for providing an advance reader copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

This is a beautifully illustrated children's storybook Bible that does a great job of introducing the Bible to younger children. At the bottom of each story are suggestions for other stories in the Bible that link up with God's bigger story. Each page also includes a reference to where the story came from in the Bible so older kids could always reference back to the story. I highly recommend this Bible storybook for families with children.

I received a sample eARC of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed in this review are my own.

I really have enjoyed reading this children’s Bible. Wright does a great job in the introduction explaining how the Bible stories point to the gospel and Christ and are not just in the Bible so we can be morally right. Kids will love the short stories and beautiful illustrations. They aren’t too “cartoonish” and are very well done. Wright also puts references to other stories in the book that help connect the dots for how things are connected. I highly recommend this and will be sharing it with the kids in my life.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest opinion.

This book is visually stunning! The illustrations are tasteful and engaging. The stories are easy to read and scripturally sound. I love the way that the stories interconnect with one another, weaving together old testament, new testament, and themes that run throughout the bible. This book gives a big picture overview of the bible and is well-rounded. I am excited to add this book to my shelves and read it to my children in the future!

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.

Read the full book review to see what I really liked and some considerations / helpful insights.

N.T. Wright is a household name for us, so I could not wait to preorder this book. I am so glad I did because this book is as incredible as expected. N.T. Wright summarizes the Old Testament and Gospels, and provides meaningful insights for the stories. The illustrations are colorful and beautiful, and they depict the stories well. As bright as the illustrations are, they are balanced against the white space provided on the text pages. Finally, I am so happy to see connections between stories that make up God’s “big story.” This is important for all Bible readers to understand the relevance of the Old Testament. I recommend this to all Christians with children.

Thank you NetGalley and Tommy Nelson for this advanced copy. All opinions are my own.

I love Tom Wright's theology and his adult books but I'm not sure he is the best at writing for children. I didn't actually finish reading the book. What I liked about this volume: The number of stories included. So often Bible storybooks stick to just a few, often-told passages. I also appreciated the notes connecting various stories; this will help parents and kids grasp the overall arc of the Bible. But, I didn't find anything in particular compelling about this as a kid's story Bible. The pictures and writing don't particularly standout in a crowded field. So, I will recommend it if people ask, along with other adequate kid's story Bibles.

As a fan of N.T. Wright and a Director of Children's Ministry programs for many years, I am excited to read this book. I wrote the publisher (as suggested) and requested a hard copy (this file would not download). Looking forward to reading it and reviewing. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity!

Absolutely very beautifully written stories of the bible for children to learn and understand all about Our God.
I love the art work it was beautiful to look at with the bright colours.

This picture book of Bible stories would be a beautiful addition to any home and the perfect gift for baptism, or any sacrament. My grandchildren loved hearing the stories and enjoyed the exquisite illustrations. The language is understandable and the Bible stories are well told and rich. I would recommend this book to anyone wishing to add a quality book to a child’s library, it would make a very welcome gift.