The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton
The Promise by Jason Helopoulos
Creation Sings by Carine Mackenzie
A great place to begin is at the beginning. Francis Schaeffer said that if he only had one hour with an unbeliever he would spend the first 50 minutes in the book of Genesis focusing on who God is and the Fall, before explaining the gospel.
Genesis is also a good place to begin theology with your kids. God’s marvellous act of Creation is the backdrop to the greatest rescue ever. To understand salvation we need to understand our need of it – and that is where the doctrine of sin and the Creation account is essential. There are some remarkable children’s books on creation. So many children’s Bibles illustrate it and tell it but there are few that make the necessary theological link between the truth of that event and the reality of our sinful lives and the promise of salvation.
So, let me quickly introduce you to three different titles that do just that:
The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross (ISBN 978 1 784 985 813) by Carl Laferton, illustrated by Catalina Echeverri and published by The Good Book Company, ties the disaster and rebellion of Eden to the hope and promise of Calvary. Throughout the book the fact that sin separates us from God is illustrated through the curtain in the temple. And you can see how Christ’s sacrifice on the cross tore that barrier down. This book has a unique combination of colourful cartoon-style illustrations and darker images that reflect the solemn message.
The Promise (ISBN 978 1 433 571 060) is hot off the press. It is written by Jason Helopoulos, illustrated by Rommel Ruiz and published by Crossway. The illustrations are pitched at an older child. It has a thought-provoking art approach. The interesting design itself might spark some discussion with your children. The author focuses on the fact that after the Fall, God’s promise was to restore humanity’s relationship with God through a Saviour, His Son, Jesus Christ. He alone would crush the head of the serpent and deliver us from sin.
Creation Sings (ISBN 978 1 781 917 855) by Carine Mackenzie, published by Christian Focus Publications, takes each of the days of Creation and illustrates how God’s creative act declares God’s truth. Each day, including the day of rest, demonstrates how we are sinners in need of salvation and that Christ alone provides that need. The joy of this book is how we see Creation linked to salvation and how the whole of Scripture is there to point us to Christ. Brightly illustrated by Ana Afonso, there is a mixture of engaging animal pictures and Biblical images throughout.
If these books whet your appetite for some family time in Creation and Genesis, here are two honourable mentions to keep an eye out for: God’s Mighty Acts in Creation (ISBN 978 1 433 513 985) by Star Meade is a non-illustrated book that takes Scripture and nature and uses both to point the reader to God. A good activity study guide for children is the Bible Detectives – Genesis (ISBN 978 1 845 500 665), a book full of puzzles and Bible teaching.
