The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross: The true story of why Jesus died and rose again (Tales That Tell the Truth) (Gospel-centered Christian picture ... ages 3-6. Perfect year-round or for Easter)

The Garden, The Curtain, & The Cross is a Christian children's picture book that condenses the entire story of the Bible into 33 pages. It starts with the Garden of Eden where everything was perfect and wonderful. There was nothing bad and nothing sad. And better yet, God was also there. Then Adam and Eve sinned and decided they didn't want God to be in charge. And they were kicked out of the garden. To show people they had to stay outside of the garden, God put angels in front of the garden as a big keep out sign. Now things were sometimes bad and sometimes sad. People continued to sin because they didn't want God to be in charge. And God said, "Because of your sin, you can't come in." The book states that God wanted the people to remember the wonderfulness of living with Him, so He instructed them to build a special building called His temple, where He would reside. This isn't entirely true. David had the idea to build a temple for God, and God agreed. Regardless, in the middle of the temple was a wonderful place where God was with nothing bad and nothing sad. And God told the people to put a big curtain that had pictures of angels on it as a big keep out sign. For hundreds of years, the temple curtain reminded the people that God said, "Because of your sin, you can't come in." It goes through Jesus's birth and dedication at the temple. And then discusses that because people still didn't want God to be in charge, they put Jesus to death on the cross. But Jesus had a plan. On the cross, Jesus took our sins. All the bad things we do, and all the sad things they cause, and the curtain tore. The big keep out sign was ripped up. Because Jesus died, we can go in! The book also discusses Jesus's resurrection and His invitation to everyone to come and live with Him in heaven. That's a shortened and simplified message of the gospel of Christ. It's written in a way that young kids can understand the message. I like that the positive pages are beautifully illustrated with vivid color. Whereas, the negative or sad pages are black, white, and sepia-toned. The contrast is visually striking. I only had minimal issues with the content of the book. The overall message was spot on. And this is an easy way to get children to hear and see that gosepl of Christ and the entire Bible message in an understandable format for their ages. The Garden, The Curtain, and The Cross gets 5 Stars from me. Have you or your child read The Garden, The Curtain, and The Cross? What did you think? Let me know! *Edit to add: I don't worry too much about whether or not this contains the entirety of the Biblical plan of salvation or that some details aren't entirely accurate because I will be continually teaching my children through the Bible and not children's books alone the gospel message. It's not like I will be consistently referencing The Garden, the Curtain, and the Cross for my children as the message of Jesus. This is intended (on my part anyway) to be an introduction to the gospel message. My teaching will not start or stop with this book. Thus, I don't care too much about the inaccuracies, and I will take the opportunity to discuss inaccuracies with them as I feel they are ready for them.

Beautiful and fun illustrations and wonderful story of the Gospel! It’s great because it walks through the concept of sin in the garden and our separation with God, then the curtain in the temple which allows God to be here but still separate and then the cross which allows us to be reunited for eternity. So a great overview of all of scripture! And it’s all very accessible language for kids and adults!

Wonderfully written and beautifully illustrated!

Such a sweet children’s book that clearly communicates the gospel in a way that makes sense! I got it for my friend’s baby shower :)

This book took my breath away. The illustrations are beautiful. The story is accurate and told in a way that children stay engaged and understand the story. I have began to buy all the books in this collection. They do not disappoint.

It explained the significance of the cross in a very understand way for kids without over-simplifying.

This book is a great way to teach kids about God. I have a 9 year old and a 5 year old. My 9 year old had lots of questions, so I got this book. It really answered a lot of questions… caused more questions, but that’s a good thing! It’s beautifully illustrated and written on a level small children can understand and keep up with. Highly recommend this book!

This book is such an important book for children of all ages. It does a beautiful job summarizing the Bible from Genesis through the Gospels. My family and I have read this book almost every night to the point of ragged pages and ripped spine, yet it still holds up very well against two toddlers. The illustrations are beautiful and the content is one of the most beautiful and well written summaries of Jesus throughout the old testament through to the new. It makes a wonderful gift for baby showers. Even if the parents are agnostic or atheist, I still buy this book for the children. It's beautiful bedtime story and maybe the parents hearts will soften after hearing the gospel in such a loving and gentle way. Warning, if you're emotional like me, you're probably going to get misty eyed on every read. After nearly 6yrs, I still get teary eyed reading it.

Lovely illustrations and story, great for Easter. Our kids enjoy reading!

Amazing book!

I almost didn't buy this book as there was no 'look inside' feature but I went ahead based on the other reviews. This is an amazing book, beautifully illustrated and although it is written for young children the adults that I showed it to were riveted by the design lay out and the colours. The garden of Eden is so beautifully presented in vibrant colours but when we get to the story of Jesus on the cross the pages become darker and have a two page length ways spread out. Children will quickly learn about creation, the significance of the temple curtain being torn in two at the time of Jesus' death and the joy of the resurrection, in a way that they can enjoy and understand. This is the gospel story told in such a way that it will appeal to children and adults alike. I cannot praise this book enough or find words to adequately do it justice. I have been recommending The Garden, the Curtain and the Cross to my friends, one of whom went straight home after reading my copy to order it for the church Sunday school. Fabulous, fabulous book!!! 10 stars if it were possible!

This is superb writing and the pictures are very fun to look at for the kids.

This book is beautifully written, doctrinally sound, Christ exalting. The art work is equally as beautiful. It has easily become one of our favorite books to read about the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Highly recommend!