I didn’t realise how passionate I was about children’s Biblical literacy until I became immersed as a parent in the world of children’s storybook Bibles. However well-written, Jesus-centred and beautifully illustrated they were, most of them seem to focus on the same selection of Bible stories, whilst skipping over the rest. This is why I am so delighted with this series from The Good Book Company, which takes some of the other, equally awesome, stories from the Bible and puts them in the spotlight.

‘The God Contest’ begins with the story of Elijah’s challenge to the priests of Baal, which it then links forward to the life of Jesus and our own experiences today. Its central question is ‘Who is the real God?’, and it does a remarkable job of showing how the answer is ‘Yahweh’ and yet also ‘Jesus’ - and how those two answers are one and the same. The OT story of the battle at the altars is perfect for kids, although parents may have to add a little extra explanation of Baal to younger children. Meanwhile, the jump to Jesus adds a new dimension to the Christian’s understanding of our Saviour.

It’s also worth adding a note about the power of the illustrations; they are amusing, engaging, and beautifully diverse. Children will see themselves in these pictures, which adds a real power to the closing question about the reader’s own beliefs. All in all, an excellent book.

Miriam Montgomery, Free Church Books