A children's version of the last days of Jesus and the resurrection. Vivid illustrations.

I liked this book, although I would not use it in a classroom. What I liked about this text is that it was written as a story. The book followed the traditional role of story beginnings by using the line, "Once there lived a man named Jesus." The subject was heavy, but there is not a way to make light of the story of Jesus. I think that the book portrayed this heavy subject matter in a tasteful way that will allow for young readers to learn about the last days of Jesus without subjecting them to the violence that is in the original story. For example, Jesus' crucifixion is traditionally a very violent story with stone throwing, nailing is hands and feet, and a throne crown forced on his head. This book kept the reasons and painful feelings that can be stirred about Jesus' death without the violence. For example the author wrote, "The soldiers brought Jesus to a hill outside the city, and the put him on a cross. Jesus uttered a final prayer. And he died." The feelings of what the story was saying was really shown through the illustrations rather than the text. The illustrations were bold and dark. Especially during the crucifixion scene. The picture were done in oil paint and bold black lines which portrayed the mood of the story well. Overall the message of this book is to love one another the way that Jesus did in the story. ( )

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