THE JESUS FILES
By Carine Mackenzie
Illustrated by Fred Apps. Christian Focus. 128 pages. £9.99
ISBN 1 84550 040 7
This is a commendable attempt to present the facts about Jesus to young people in a way which lets the Bible speak for itself, using a visual format familiar to children growing up with computer technology. The gospel narrative is told in language which is straightforward and accessible, and the layout of the whole book carefully geared to the learning process.
Fact Files, Bible Data, and individual Character Studies are included to help children ‘uncover’ the information, with Scripture locations and themes clearly given at the top of each page.
The Focus Studies toward the end of the book then encourage children to probe selected subjects in more depth — for example, the fulfilment of prophesy, the names of Jesus and their meaning — and to apply the promises and claims of Jesus to their own lives. The church children who kindly read this for me decided that it was much more interesting than the material they received in school RE lessons! — although with more appeal to the middle of the suggested age group (to be read to, 7-9 years; to read themselves, 9-14 years).
Fred Apps’s full colour illustrations depict key moments in the gospel narratives with sensitivity — although the framed computer-style insertion of images into the text sometimes means the opportunities for a more attractive visual ‘spread’ are lost.
Overall, an engaging and valuable introduction to Bible study, both for individual children, or for reading with parents.
Anne Roberts,
Snettisham Christian Fellowship, Norfolk
