Jesus

Jesus, written and illustrated by Brian Wildsmith, is a picture book about the life of Jesus. The narrative starts before his birth, with the angel Gabriel visiting Mary to tell her she would have a son named Jesus, and ends with the Pentecost, after Jesus' ascent into the heavens. The story encompasses all the major points in Jesus' life, including his youth in Nazareth, his baptism, his teachings and his miracles. The book is filled with vivid illustrations of the scenes of Jesus' life, each in the shape of a window, and all framed with gold. The colorful and striking pictures are reminiscent of stained glass windows. What I Like: I like the illustrations. They are beautiful and eye-catching and lend much to the book. I also like that the book covers Jesus' entire life on earth (even a bit before and a bit after). What I Dislike: The narrative is choppy and lacking in continuity. The story runs chronologically, but there are no transitions between scenes and that makes it difficult to read. Overall Rating: I give it a very good rating, though, because of the beautiful illustrations and the chronological coverage of Jesus' life. Age Appeal: 9-12. Christine M. Irvin - Christian Children's Book Review