A Review of The Story of Easter by Christopher Doyle and John Haysom
Filled with lovely watercolor pictures, this book tells a comprehensive story of Christ’s death and resurrection. The story begins where Scripture begins-with the catastrophe of sin that entered the world at the Garden of Eden in Genesis 3. It continues with naming Jesus as the promised Savior from sin as was foretold by the Old Testament prophets. Now Jesus, God’s Son, has entered our world. He has come to show the world who God is and to save us from our sin. That’s a great introduction as to where Jesus and the Passion Week story fit into God’s plan and Scripture as a whole.
The book is well written. I especially liked that Jesus’ words are quoted throughout the story. Whether it’s while he’s upending the temple tables, teaching during the Last Supper, or his post-resurrection encounter with his disciples, Jesus’ words are well placed in the author’s rendition of the last days and months of Jesus’ life.
Throughout the book, the text is clear that Jesus has come to save the world. Different phrases are used to describe this. He has come:
1. to fulfill the OT prophecies.
2. to have God himself teach his people in person.
3. to die on the cross to pay for our sins.
I counted at least 18 events from Jesus’ entrance to Jerusalem to the mention of the Ascension and Pentecost at the end. I was pleased that the author included lesser-told events such as the anointing of Jesus at Simon the leper’s home, the foot washing at the Last Supper, and Jesus’ back and forth appearance before Herod and Pilate.
The book has one drawback. The font is so light and it runs on top of many of the pictures that it is difficult to read. Because there is a lot of content on each page, this may feel laborious.
To remedy this, I recommend reading a section at a time. You can augment this by reading the corresponding Scripture. I always suggest concluding with a time for wondering. Wondering questions don’t have to be answered aloud necessarily, but they are worth taking time to ponder and imagine. For example, “I wonder what the people who had cheered for Jesus when he rode on the donkey into Jerusalem talked about that night?” Or, I wonder, “What the poor people who were overcharged at the temple for sacrificial animals felt when they saw Jesus driving out the cheaters at the temple?” I wonder, “What part did you liked the best?” Some vocabulary words may need explaining, my favorite being “mortal” on page 1. Some unfamiliar names such as Caiphas, Barrabas, Caesar, and The Skull also benefit from explaining.
I recommend this as a Read-With-Me book for children in kindergarten and above. Older elementary children can likely read it independently. It is a great book to read as a family during Passion Week.
The book is available for $8.99 by Concordia House Publishing. https://www.cph.org/p-3192-the-story-of-easter-pb.aspx?REName=&plk=0&Lk=0&rlk=0 It is also available in softcover for the same price at Christianbook.com My copy is hardcover which I prefer. https://www.christianbook.com/the-story-of-easter/christopher-doyle/9780758614957/pd/614957?event=ESRCN