A six-session Sunday School resource with age-differentiated lesson plans for 3-5s, 5-8s, and 8-12s

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.

Get the full color, full size illustrations to use in presentations

God did not initiate a request for a temple to house Himself but David wanted to build one; David had it in his heart. God said, “Are you the one to build me a house to dwell in? I have not dwelt in a house from the day I brought the Israelites up out of Egypt to this day.” (2 Samuel 7, 1 Chronicles) 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! 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 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. The illustrations are also extremely well done. I especially liked the creative and artistic ways of displaying sin.

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. 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. 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." 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 True Story of Why Jesus Died and Rose Again

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 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.

My wonderful daughter (age 3) has for a long time struggled with what Jesus was put through - spat upon, tortured and ridiculed. When she read this again with her God Mother I heard her say 'it's okay - it was always in the plan'. The way the story is relayed offered a wonderful assurance for her and I do believe that she now understands that this sacrifice made by God of His son was ok - in the plan - and allowed life and life in abundance. 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"?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. 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. 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.