The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross Storybook: The true story of why Jesus died and rose again (Illustrated Bible overview/ gospel explanation. ... for Easter.) (Tales that Tell the Truth)

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The stunning illustrations are by Catalina Echeverri, author and illustrator of several bestselling children's books, including all the books in the 'Tales that Tell the Truth' series from The Good Book Company. At first I didn't think I'd get along with it as the Eden story is introduced in quite a literal fashion (As in, "a long time ago, on this earth, there was a garden...") but I suppose for a children's book, that's OK, even if most Christians I know would probably believe in the Genesis account as symbolic and a "why" rather than a "how" story. My kids and I really enjoyed this book. It is extremely creative and effective in it's use of storytelling, humor, and repetition. Especially my four year old (who loves songs) was already saying with me on our second reading, "Because of your sin, you can't come in." So, it was very easy after we finished reading it to have a discussion about sin and our need for Jesus's perfection.

This was an incredible read. The Bible condensed into a children's book. I read this with my children and it had me in tears. The story is so well told about the significance of the garden, the curtain and the cross that I felt overwhelmingly loved by our Father and the sacrifice made by Jesus. I felt it helped me and my children understand that the Father is always and only ever a loving Father to us. The book is a great read and a great conversation starter with your children. It is the gospel clear and simple. My kids loved and so will yours. yr old: I liked the book. My favorite picture is when God makes Adam and Eve. He made the animals and everything! I want to read this book all the time! The text of the book tells the meta-narrative of the Bible by focusing on (as the title indicates) the Garden of Eden, God's presence in the temple of ancient Israel, and God's presence through Jesus. Sin is clearly defined and the purpose of Christ's death on the cross is explained.Together with The Garden, The Curtain and The Cross storybook, these full color, full size illustrations allow you to read the story while showing the pictures on screen.

The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross is a sweeping epic that details God’s relationship with humankind. From the Garden to the Cross—and the Curtain that separated the two—Carl Laferton takes readers on a journey through history to show how a broken relationship was restored. Gloria Furman's endorsement of this book sums up my feeling too, "I am so excited about this book! It is colorful, engaging, and creative, and that's just the icing on the cake! Our children receive invitations to participate in many different stories, stories of who they are, their purpose, and what God is like. The Garden, the Curtain and the Crossis a brilliant re-telling of the one story that rules all other stories. I cannot commend this book highly enough. Read it to your children, give it to your neighbors, and talk about what it means to live in light of the fact that the curtain has been torn." The illustrations in this book are stunning. They're beautifully nuanced, colorful, detailed, and full of life. As I stated, it is basic, short Biblical theology. The book perfectly brings down the concept of creation, fall redemption to a level children can understand. Laferton begins in the Garden with a perfect creation where, “There was nothing bad, ever. There was no one sad, ever.” Yet, sin came in and destroyed all of this. Now things were bad and people were sad. From that scene we are taken into the Temple where God Himself dwelt, but separated from man by a large curtain. Yet, God would become a man and die for our sins. The curtain separating man and God would be torn in two thus beginning God’s redemption of this world leading us to an eternal kingdom where “There was nothing bad, ever. There was no one sad, ever.” God’s creation will be restored and our relationship with Him forever settled. I am a father of four kids eight and under. So I read to them a lot. As far as religious kids' books, I like books that tell the old, old story well in a way that is both age appropriate and compelling. The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross is a great book. It gives kids age five to eight (my test group) a big picture sense of why Jesus died and rose again. Author Carl Laberton tells a story which is accessible for my kids and true to scripture. His story is beautifully illustrated by Catalina Echeverri's stunning illustrations. On the first day I got this book, I already read it several times with my kids. It opened up a great conversation with my eight year old about what the Bible tells about sin and we loved talking about what was happening in the pictures.Yes, I agree there are good points in this book but I have some real concerns, sincere questions, about a few things that are written in “The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross.” In my humble opinion, parents and teachers should think through these things before reading it to children and be ready to explain. There are passages that could be confusing to both children and adults without discussion and reading the relevant scriptures. I humbly offer some food for thought, things that perhaps should be contemplated and discerned. A six-session Sunday School resource with age-differentiated lesson plans for 3-5s, 5-8s, and 8-12s I’ve read a lot of children’s Bible storybooks. I’ve never read one that put the curtain of the Holy of Holies into central focus. And yet, it’s that veil that serves as a visual metaphor for the separation between God and humanity due to sin. As such, it’s the perfect visual focus point for an illustrated children’s bible story book. This bestselling book is written by Carl Laferton, who is also the author of God's Big Promises Bible Storybook, and serves as series editor of the God's Word for You series.

This book is illustrated beautifully, starting bright and colourful, going browny and harsh-looking in the middle, and then finishing with a return to the colours to match the message. Together with The Garden, The Curtain and The Cross storybook, these full colour, full size illustrations allow you to read the story while showing the pictures on screen. It is a very simple re-telling of the story of creation, the curtain in the temple, and the cross but is done in a way that is very clear and covers many plot points in the one story of redemption. The illustrations are also extremely well done. I especially liked the creative and artistic ways of displaying sin.I have never actually reviewed a children’s book before, but since adopting two children, suddenly the genre has become all the more important to me. Thus far I have read several Christian books to my kids. Some of them have been bad, and some very bad. Watered-down theology and dreadful moralism seem to characterize much of what is out there. Happily I can report there still several good resources out there for you, Christian parents. A great example would be The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross by Carl Laferton and illustrated by Catalina Echeverri.

The Garden, the Curtain and The Cross takes children on a journey from the garden of Eden to God’s perfect new creation. It is a gospel presentation that focuses on the significance of the temple curtain. Children will learn why Jesus died and rose again and why that’s the best news ever. These six Sunday School lessons, based on the bestselling storybook The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross, take kids on a journey through the Bible from Genesis to Revelation, thrilling them with God's loving determination for his people to enjoy life with him. The first few panels set up the central conflict. Adam and Eve live in perfection in the Garden. (Sidenote: they are illustrated with tribal tattoos and drawings which is just lovely and thought-provoking.) But then they do a terrible thing. They decided they didn’t want to do what God said. They decided they wanted a world without God in charge. This, Laferton writes, is called “sin.” And because of that sin, the people could not live with God in the garden any longer.Children's Christian books/Bible books might seem easy (it's just the usual stories, right?) but they're actually very difficult to get right. Do you make God cuddly or powerful? How much blood and gore do you include? And, crucially, how much do they make the gospel message a "hard sell"?